Le Conte de Madame Peugeot
by missmerrymak
Summary: "Another Swan. Perfect." A stranger in Storybrooke is less of a stranger than meets the eye. The protection spell around the town is disintegrating. And the details you don't really question are the ones that make the least sense.
1. The Wolf

a/n: Hello! Quick before I get into a few important details I just want to take a minute to thank everyone who's followed and favorited LCDMP as well as the people who liked it enough to leave a review. This story is currently featured on three different community archives, and I'm _so_ appreciative. You've all been extremely supportive and praising in your feedback, and I don't know how to express all the gratitude I feel except by saying _thank you_ for sticking with me through my first and now second draft of _Le Conte de Madame Peugeot_.

Okay, onto the most important tidbit. This story is kind of AU in the fact that I manipulated season two so it fit with what I wanted to do with my OC. **So I've written a prequel, and it's pretty important that you read it if you want to understand what's going on~not just in the first chapter but in later chapters as well. Check it out; it's called _Cora, The First_. **

Next, I'm a sort of a stickler about grammar and neither my keyboard nor this website lets me insert an em dash (something I'm quite fond of and use often). So, as a miniature act of rebellion **I'm creating my own substitute em dash (~)** because whenever I conjoin two hyphens one of them gets deleted, and I don't like it.

Sorry for the novella of an author's note. I just had to get you guys (and any new readers) up to speed!

* * *

 _Part One_

 _1: The Wolf_

It was nights like these that made her question her devotion to medicine. With a jaw clenching, white knuckled grip on the steering wheel, she drove anxiously in between rows of trees. Had she not been so damn late she might have been a little more cautious on the slick, midnight roads. But she'd chosen speed over safety which meant that she had to listen to the deafening pounding of the rain and the frantic back and forth of her rental car's windshield wipers.

The thing was, she'd left the grinding traffic of the highway for some peace and _quiet_ not nail biting anxiety. But it was sort of funny~mostly ironic~because she liked storms. She liked listening to the padder of the rain and watching the flashes of lightning illuminate the sky. It was the closest nature could get to an orchestra, she figured. Just not when she was driving, thank you very much. The wipers were on the highest setting, and it still looked like a bucket of water was being poured over her eyes. She squinted. Except for the little yellow lines in the middle of the road, she was driving blind. And that, no matter how good of a driver she thought she was, terrified her.

Forty miles an hour was all she could manage. Even so, she felt like the forest was whizzing past her. There was a medical conference in Portland that had started~she glanced at her watch~four hours ago now. Her flight from New York had been cancelled last minute because of the storm so she had to fly into York instead. An hour and a frantic half later, she was driving through the backwoods of Maine in a black Lexus. Which, she supposed, wasn't all that bad. She could have gotten the PT Cruiser. Hey, as long as she had to cart herself to Portland, Maine in the middle of a damn tsunami, she might as well make her way there in style.

But at least she was getting there. As a third year resident at one of the admittedly smaller hospitals in New York, she was eager to soak up as much information as she could~and start working up a resumé~before she had to begin thinking about applying for fellowships. It was still four years away, but there was no harm in starting early. She had a friend in pediatrics, Mitch, who thought she was absolutely crazy for doing so, but nobody in peds was quite as competitive as trauma surgery.

Mitch said that trauma was the marines of the medical world. A wicked grin crept onto her lips at the thought of it. Fast. High pressure. No time to think. No time to breathe. You have to be cool and calm and always in control.

She didn't profess to know everything, though. She was a third year resident, not a practicing physician. Sure she had a doctorate, but she still had a lot to learn. She still froze sometimes. There were still surgeries she just didn't know how to do yet. She was learning. Even so, there was a tugging sense of urgency to finish her residency. Because, god, she'd been dreaming of being a surgeon since she was twelve years old. She felt a buzz of excitement run through her veins. She shifted in her seat, licking her lips, a grin bursting from the corner of her mouth. Four more years, Jennifer, just four more years.

Then something caught her eye on the road, snapping her out of her daydream. Her headlights pierced the dark and raindrops fell like white bullets. But in the distance, there, way up ahead, there was a figure in the road. A wolf. Lonely and waiting. Strong and quiet. In the middle of the rain, staring at her. Her headlights reflected in its glassy eyes, and her breath caught in her throat. For a flickering moment time seemed to stand completely still. Sharp and piercing, she could have sworn that those empty eyes could see straight through her. Then the breath she'd been holding came out in a gasping lurch as instinct kicked in, and she slammed on the brakes. Swerving and skidding, eyes wide and terrified, her heart pounding so much it hurt, and the wolf just stood there.

She couldn't quite recall all the details after that. The world blurred, and she let go of the steering wheel as her body jerked forward. There was a deafening crunch, the slamming of an airbag, and then everything was still. As she drifted into unconsciousness, she could hear her ears ringing painfully, the pounding of the rain on her car, and the howling of a wolf in the distance.

. . .

She woke up in a daze. Everything was blurry and spinning. She couldn't think straight, her thoughts trickling together into an incoherent jumble. Something warm and wet was trickling over her eyebrow. With a groan, she lifted a hand. Her fingers were a deep red when she pulled them away. Blood. _Blood_. Her heart thumped hotly in her ears. Her head was burning and pounding and throbbing as she unbuckled her seat belt and pushed aside the deflated airbag and fumbled over the door handle. She gasped for air when she finally stumbled out of the car.

Hands on her knees, head hanging low, the asphalt spinning like a top. Breathe. In and out. Shit. She threw a hand to her neck. Pulse was rapid. She stood up but up was down and down was up and then she was falling. Her back hit the car. A strangled grunt escaped her lips. She closed her eyes, breathing thickly through her nose, pressing her lips together angrily. Concussion. She had a concussion.

After it stopped feeling like she was on a fishing boat in a storm she opened her eyes and took a deep, cooling breath. The sky was gray, the air earthy and wet. Early morning. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. There was a sign up ahead. She squinted. Storybrooke. Welcome to Storybrooke. A town. Fantastic.

She was walking; she didn't know for how long. A bell tolled in the distance, the sun peaked out through the clouds, and she winced. Her ears rang, and she stumbled over a sidewalk. "Oh, my goodness!" She heard someone say, a woman: black hair, scarf, worried eyes. There were black spots in her vision. _Shit_. "We need to get you to a hospital."

"Hospital." She echoed with a soft nod before the sky started spinning and the sun faded out and gravity took hold of her.

. . .

When she came to the second time she could hear the steady beep of a heart monitor and smell the lingering poignancy of antiseptic. Her head was throbbing in time with the monitor. She whimpered, her eyes fluttering open. "You're awake! I'll get Dr. Whale." A woman announced suddenly, her voice distorted by the deafening ringing in her ears. Presumably the same woman who'd taken her to the hospital. Her vision steadied; the ringing continued. In the solitude, she raked her concussion distorted memory to piece together the last few hours. She'd been in a car crash. She was bleeding. She was in a hospital. There was an IV in her hand. She had a concussion. She was missing the _goddamn medical conference._

The woman came back with who she assumed was Whale. He was a tall, blonde doctor who looked more like he belonged on a soap opera than in an OR. And she knew enough doctors to know the difference. The woman, now that she got a good look at her, was short. She had a round face, a black pixie cut, and a pale pink sweater. She seemed like a nice person. "Glad to see you're awake! I'm Dr. Whale. How are you feeling?" She swallowed, watching him stuff his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.

"Shitty." She answered, her voice hoarse and slow. Her ribs were on fire and so was her head. She remembered her head bleeding...

"Understandable. I'll ask the nurse to give you another dose of morphine. It's a good thing Miss Blanchard got you to the hospital when she did! The only open wound you sustained was the laceration to your forehead, but it was bleeding pretty badly when you arrived. Based on the blood loss, my best guess is that the bleeding had stopped at some point but you reopened the wound while walking through town. We were able to stitch up the gash without complication, though you did require a minor transfusion." He paused, taking a breath and searching her with curious eyes. "There's bruising across your chest consistent with a seat belt. Were you in a car crash?"

"Last night. There was a wolf in the road. Slid and crashed just before your town sign." She told him, her words slow but concise. Suddenly the two of them got very strange looks on their faces. The color drained from Miss Blanchard's. Dr. Whale rolled his jaw and exhaled forcefully. They shared a look.

"You're not from Storybrooke." He tried to clarify. She furrowed her brow, looking between the two of them.

Her voice was hesitant, curious. "Is that a problem?" Quickly, almost too quickly, Miss Blanchard shook her head.

"No, of course not." She paused.

There was a thick silence.

"We never did get your name." Whale spoke up. She looked between the two of them. Something wasn't right here, and she couldn't _think_ well enough to figure out what it was.

"Jennifer Alexander. Um, I was supposed to be at a...um…" She closed her eyes then opened them slowly. " _Conference_ in Portland. I need to call my boss. Do you have a phone?"

"Of course." Whale said, motioning to the table next to her bed. She thanked him and watched as they filed out before taking the phone off the hook. _Strange_.

. . .

Emma got the call right in the middle of breakfast. Right in the middle of a _bear claw_. She was so _hungry_ too, but the panicked sound of Mary Margaret's voice got her attention. Reluctantly relinquishing the pastry, she leaned forward on her elbows, fiddled with a scratch on her desk, and listened carefully. When Mary Margaret explained what exactly had happened, Emma frowned in concern. She didn't know that people could get through the protection spell at all. Wasn't it supposed to be airtight or something?

"I'll have Leroy pick up her car. What's her name?" She asked, grabbing a pen and a pad of paper. She was gonna do some research on this lady, whoever she was. As sheriff, she wouldn't be letting any old stranger into her town.

"Jennifer Alexander." Mary Margaret answered. Emma's pen paused over the paper, a pang shooting through her chest. No. _No_ , it's _ridiculous_. "Emma?" She licked her lips, standing up abruptly.

"Yeah, got it. Be there in a few minutes." She hung up without saying goodbye, and she left her office without the pen ever touching the paper.

. . .

Gold stared unpleasantly at the door to his shop. Dust floated lazily in the sun beams, his artifacts sat untouched, and Belle was in the library. Nothing was visibly out of order, but something was _off_. He smacked his lips together and wrinkled his nose, tasting the air. With a dissatisfied grunt, he made his way to the front of the shop. His leg was causing him an unusual amount of pain so he leaned heavily on his cane. Ripping open the front door, he stalked outside. The air smelled of pine and sun and wet pavement and nothing particularly extraordinary. Then again…

There it was! In the breeze just now. He almost missed it: the smell of Emma Swan's world. The tangy hint of citrus and smoke and electricity. And it was blowing into Storybrooke slow and steady on the back of the westward winds. He hated the smell, all muddy and strange. He caught whiffs of it before storms or in the air on a blustery day. It happened. The winds carried the smell from Boston or New York or Seattle. It was normal. However, even though the sky was starting to clear from last night's storm, it was still here~ _lingering_. And, with it, the smell of the Enchanted Forest had faded. Gone was the pine and the earth and the sweet, flowery scent of magic. And that troubled him.

He conjured a fireball, just to make sure, and almost sighed in relief when he felt the heat of the flames on his face. But something was still wrong~wrong with the magic. It didn't flow from his palms like it should. It was weaker than usual: a stream instead of a flood. He didn't know what was happening, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.


	2. Jenny Swan

a/n: Quick thank you to the people who reviewed anonymously. I couldn't PM you a thank you so I'm doing it now!

* * *

 _2: Jenny Swan_

When Jennifer asked why Miss Blanchard looked at her so oddly, she said that they didn't get strangers in Storybrooke very often. Jennifer suspected something else, though. She didn't quite know what~but something. Either way, she kept quiet. No use making a fuss if there was none. Dr. TV had disappeared for now, but Miss Blanchard, who she'd insisted Jennifer call Mary Margaret, decided to stay.

Really she just wanted to get some rest so she could be out of here as soon as possible. "Thank you for taking me to the hospital, but you don't have to stay. I'm fine." She insisted for the third time. And she really was feeling better. Not _completely_ okay, but okay enough for her to leave. Mary Margaret just chuckled, the pagers and footsteps of the hospital floating softly in the background.

"You know, you sound _exactly_ like my...like a friend of mine." She smiled in amusement then paused. "I just want to make sure you're alright. You do realize that you have a concussion, right?"

"Yeah, I know, but I'm fine. _Really_." She insisted as there was a knock at the door. A blonde in a red leather jacket strode in, a gun and badge displayed unabashedly on her hip. The two women paid absolutely no attention to each other, but when their gazes met, Jennifer's jaw dropped. Immediately~ _immediately_ ~she recognized her. And she could have sworn that her heart stopped and her fingers went numb. All she heard was the sound of her own voice echoing in her head. "Oh, my _God_."

"Jenny." Emma stated in utter disbelief. Though her voice was soft, the sound was deafening in the pin drop silence. She looked shocked and dumbfounded and completely speechless with wide eyes and parted lips. Jennifer blinked and closed her mouth and gave a little shake of her head.

"Jennifer." She told Emma dumbly, for lack of anything remotely coherent to put forth instead.

"What?"

"It's Jennifer now. No one's called me Jenny in years." Her voice kept echoing in the silence, and no one noticed the way Mary Margaret kept looking between the two of them with increasing interest.

"What a coincidence. You two know each other?"

Without breaking eye contact, Emma answered. "Jenny's my sister."

Mary Margaret's mouth gaped open as her head moved from Emma to Jennifer then back again. She choked on her words, blinking rapidly. " _Sister_?" The word was loud and surprised and confused. Then, quickly, she took a breath to calm herself. "I mean, um, Emma you never told me that you have a _sister_." Her voice was saccharinely polite but sternly pointed.

Emma opened and closed her mouth, looking briefly at Mary Margaret then quickly back at Jennifer who was now blushing profusely. "Well, not biologically or, well, _legally_. It was just a promise we made in foster care." Jennifer laughed, breathy and hesitant, with an awkward shake of her head.

"Just a promise?" Emma protested, blinking and frowning. Jennifer had meant a lot to Emma. She'd been her shoulder to lean on in foster care. Would Jenny really be so quick as to dismiss that?

"Well it. didn't _last_ , did it?" Jennifer reminded her rather pointedly, placing blame.

" _Jenny_." Emma pleaded.

"It's _Jennifer_." She corrected, this time sternly. Emma's heart dropped down to her toes. She'd needed a court order to get into foster records, so Emma never knew what happened to Jenny. Though god knows she tried, she didn't think she'd ever see her again.

Mary Margaret, sensing a break in the conversation, stepped forward. "Emma, can I talk to you for a minute?" She practically pulled the blonde out of the room with her. Once they were safely down the hallway, Mary Margaret finally burst. " _Sister_?"

Emma sighed. "I really don't want to talk about this right now." Mary Margaret searched Emma's pleading, hiding eyes~hating that she could conceal her feelings so well. With a shake of her head, she pushed down a whirlwind of emotions and took a deep breath.

"Okay. Okay." Mary Margaret nodded with a sigh, pressing her hands to her hips. There was a brief moment of silence, but Mary Margaret just couldn't contain herself anymore. " _Sister_?" Emma groaned. "Emma, honey, I'm your mother. I'm allowed to be curious."

"Look, she was ten when her parents died." Mary Margaret's brow furrowed sympathetically. She'd been around the same age when she'd lost her parents so she could understand what that kind of loss felt like: the helplessness and the guilt, the feeling like the world was crashing down around her. "The first foster home she was placed in happened to be with me; that's how we met. She needed someone, and we just happened to share a last name." Emma took a breath. "Jenny _was_ my sister."

"And now?"

"Now…" Emma sighed. "I don't know."

"Well, it seemed tense in there is everything...okay?" Mary Margaret prodded. Emma squirmed. She hadn't talked about Jenny for a decade. It didn't feel right, especially with her in the other room. Besides, she didn't particularly want to explain to her why they hadn't spoken in over a decade.

"Can we please not talk about this right now?"

"When is there a better time than right now?"

"Well it'd be nice to not be interrogated _two seconds_ after Jenny shows up out of the blue, after 13 years, in a town that she's not even supposed to be able to _enter_."

"I'm not _interrogating_ ~"

"Mary Margaret!" She snapped her mouth shut at her daughter's outburst. This wasn't _Emma_.

. . .

When Mary Margaret and Emma came back into her room the tension between them was palpable. Mary Margaret said goodbye, Jennifer thanked her once more, and Emma stayed.

And then she sighed, stuffing her hands into her pockets. She was wearing these skin tight jeans and a red leather jacket and her hair was long and blonde and, my God, she hadn't changed one damn bit. This looked like _Jenny's_ Emma.

"You're a police officer." Jennifer stated curiously. The fog of the concussion had lifted from her mind, but the headache was still there in full force.

"Sheriff." She corrected. Jennifer's gaze wandered to the badge and gun on her hip. Emma was carrying a _gun_.

It was an ironic kind of funny because Emma was no angel. She wasn't a citizen of the law by any means. Fuck the police~fuck _authority_ ~was her motto in not as many words. She was standoffish and cocky and had a real knack for pissing off the right people. She hated the way the foster system was rigged. She hated how it owned her, even the clothes on her back. So she stole. Shoplifting, mostly. Little stuff. Things she could hide away like a treasure. It was _hers_ , and that was all that mattered.

"Sheriff." Jennifer echoed, nodding slowly. She wasn't going to admit it right now, but she was proud of Emma. There was an awkward moment of hesitant silence. Neither of them knew how to start. Finally, Emma stepped forward, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Jenny, you can't just dismiss our time in foster care." She said it quickly, almost hesitantly like she was treading on thin ice.

"I _wasn't_." Jennifer frowned as if asking why the hell she'd think that. "I was just trying to say that we stopped being sisters when you broke our promise and _left_ me." Her voice was a lot harsher than Emma's, and it seemed to set her off because the next second her face had contorted into a caricature of disgust and resentment.

"We were _kids_. _I_ was a kid."

Jennifer's heart dropped at the words; there was a growing sense of disappointment and anger welling in her chest as she raised her brow in shock. Her mouth opened and closed inexplicably, trying to find the words to express her horror.

"Is that supposed to be an _excuse_?" She shot back. Fuck, she might even have accepted an apology. After all, she didn't think she'd ever see Emma again, and she couldn't live with herself if she passed up an opportunity to fix what they had. But not now. Trying to play what she'd done off as a silly, vapid teenage fuck up was more than she could handle. It was her self esteem and her self worth and her heart that Emma had broken when she left, and it had been _devastating_. So if Emma didn't have the courage to accept that she'd made a mistake then Jennifer sure as hell wasn't going to forgive her.

"You _left_ me, Emma." She cut harshly, an angry, pleading, deflated furrow in her brow. She could feel her heartbeat in the stitches on her forehead. "No warning, no goodbye. The middle of the night. You _left_. I was your family. You were _mine_. We were sixteen, for Christ's sake! Two more years. You couldn't survive two more years in the system with me? Eighteen and you could have done whatever the hell you wanted! Family doesn't abandon family, Emma. We _talked_ about this!" When Jennifer finished she was red faced and angry and, dammit, starting to get teary eyed. It didn't make it any better that she was sitting vulnerable in a paper thin hospital gown and curly, tangled hair and a concussed head that was working against her. But she hadn't cried over Emma in years. She wasn't about to start now. " _God_ , Emma. Thirteen fucking years and you couldn't just admit to making a mistake?"

She watched as Emma's contorted expression turned into panic. "You're bleeding!" Before Jennifer could say anything Emma turned around and went to grab a doctor. Jennifer could feel the warm, wetness of blood on her skin. She popped a stitch probably.

Damn her and damn Emma. After she left 13 years ago, Jennifer was a wreck. Feeling like a worthless, nobody foster kid on top of being abandoned by the one person she'd considered _family_ was absolutely crushing. But that wasn't why she was mad anymore; that wasn't the _point_. The point was that it had happened, and Emma wasn't even willing to live up to it.

Quickly, Emma came running back in with Dr. Whale. "Looks like you popped a stitch!" He exclaimed, no doubt watching the widening red stain on the bandage across her forehead. She winced, the skin starting to burn.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Emma asked in concern, Jennifer hating her even more because of it. How could she care this much yet still be so oblivious to Jennifer's feelings? She just didn't understand. And, frankly, she didn't care to at this point.

"I'll be fine, but I'd like you to leave." She called as Whale removed the bandage. Emma closed her mouth, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Then she nodded curtly and turned to walk out. When she was gone Whale had this shitty little smirk on this thin little lips.

"Fight with Sheriff Swan? Doesn't surprise me. She can be pretty hot headed sometimes." Jennifer snorted at that. Still the same fucking Emma.

. . .

By the end of the day, Emma's cell phone was filled with the concerns of frantic citizens. Her office phone was ringing off the hook when Mary Margaret and David walked in. "It's all over town that there's an outsider in Storybrooke. We have to do something." Mary Margaret burst. Emma shook her head, dark circles under her eyes.

"I should have known it was a bad idea to have Leroy pick up Jenny's car." She muttered. David stepped forward, and she prayed he wouldn't bring up the _sister thing_. There was no doubt in her mind that Mary Margaret had told David everything. She just _really_ didn't want to talk about it right now.

She didn't want to talk about how much she'd missed Jennifer and her curly, brown hair and uncountable freckles and smiling face with rosy red cheeks. She didn't want to talk about how many times she'd imagined her sister's devastation after finding out she'd up and left without telling her. She didn't want to _talk_ about how different her life could have been.

"Mary Margaret said that she isn't a threat." David's voice snapped her back to the conversation.

"No, she's not. Once her car is fixed she'll be out of our hair. Trust me, she won't be in the same town as me any longer than absolutely necessary." Mary Margaret looked heartbroken at her blazé remark.

As far as Emma could see, Mary Margaret was overjoyed that Jennifer even _existed_. She'd always worried that her daughter had had no one for twenty eight years. At least now she knew that it wasn't true. However, it was clear that she was concerned for the both of them. A bond, however weathered, had been broken. And Mary Margaret was determined as ever to fix it.

"I think we should hold a town meeting tomorrow at the courthouse." David suggested. "Just to set the record straight. We don't want any angry mobs running around Storybrooke." Emma nodded.

"I'll set it up. I have a whole town's worth of phone calls to respond to anyway."

"And I'm going to check up on Jennifer." Mary Margaret announced. Emma sighed. Noticing her visible annoyance and exasperation, Mary Margaret frowned. "Someone has to! And if it isn't going to be her _sister_ then it's going to be _me_."

"Why should I go? She doesn't even want to see me!" Emma exclaimed accusingly.

"If you tell me why you two are fighting then maybe I can help sort it out." Emma scoffed and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's not that _simple_. You can't just fix everything with a hug and a kiss, Mary Margaret. The real world is a little more complicated than a _fairytale_."

. . .

Turning off his car, Gold strode to the town line with narrowed eyes. He'd tracked the source of the magical disturbance to the protection spell. And that unnerved him because the protection spell happened to be the only thing keeping outsiders, well, _out_. If it failed then there would be nothing to stop any old Joe from wandering in or, God forbid, _locating_ Storybrooke.

He stopped in front of the town line and waved his hand over the invisible barrier. It shimmered like a soap bubble in the sun, then faded. The spell should be hearty and tough, not delicate and flimsy. Perturbed, he assessed the damage. It hadn't been this bad yesterday had it? His fingers hesitated over the spell. His frown deepened as the realization dawned on him. The protection spell was fading and fading fast. _It was going to break._

An icy tendril ran down his spine because he couldn't fix this. The protection spell was carved with a different type of magic than the rest of the Dark Curse: old magic. _Ancient_ magic. He didn't know how to work with old magic, not many sorcerers do.

On second thought, he did know one person that could cast in old magic: _Regina_.


	3. The Other Swan

_3: The Other Swan_

The next morning Emma knocked on Jennifer's hospital room door and pressed her lips together awkwardly. "Can I come in?" She asked, and Jennifer hesitated. Though she'd simmered down considerably after their falling out yesterday, she really just wanted to avoid Emma. Then again, if she had the guts to show her face today then maybe it was actually important. So, against her better judgement, she nodded. "Billy, our mechanic, is working on your car, but he said it's gonna be a few days to get the parts he needs. We have a bed and breakfast in Storybrooke. I can get you a room."

Jennifer licked her lips. A few days. She'd already resigned herself to missing the medical conference so she could do a few days, right? "Yeah, that sounds good." Sure she'd blown up at Emma yesterday, and sure there was still some animosity boiling between them, but, for the sake of her own health, she could probably be civil.

"I'll have Dr. Whale get your discharge papers." Emma told her. Once that was all said and done, Jennifer was given back the clothes that she arrived with: a crisp oxford and palazzos and tall heels which, though she thought she looked damn good, wasn't her usual style. It was too formal and, to be honest, after the last 24 hours she just wanted to slip into some sweatpants.

She felt emotionally drained and physically exhausted even though it wasn't even noon and she'd barely interacted with Emma. Her arms felt heavy at her sides, and they felt even heavier when she noticed, rather disdainfully, that the collar of her shirt was stained with her blood. That was never going to come out. And everything was wrinkled and there was dirt she damn near swore was etched into the very fabric of her clothes. Not to mention her entire torso hurt. She couldn't breathe too deeply or turn her body without being stabbed by hot knives. Even though Whale said she didn't, she swore she cracked at least one rib.

Emma must have noticed her wincing in pain because she eyed her not so discreetly when she left the bathroom. Jennifer ignored it just like she'd been ignoring her headache from hell. "Alright, let's go." She breathed, not really looking Emma in the eye. So she led the way out of the hospital in silence, all the way straight to an old, yellow beetle.

"A bug?" Jennifer tilted her head down, lips pursed. She glanced at Emma who could feel the judgment in Jennifer's eyes.

"Get in." She drawled, clearly unamused. A bug was so...girly. Emma was not girly. By the time they pulled out of the parking lot an awkward silence had settled over the car. "Can I ask you a question?" Jennifer looked at her. A question couldn't hurt. Well, it could.

"What?"

"Why didn't you stay Jenny Swan?"

It was a valid question.

Jenny Swan: what a name, too. It rolled off her tongue. It had a sort of finesse to it, a gracefulness, a saccharine sort of elegance. It had become a caricature of the girl next door for the kids in foster care. Maybe it was her long, brown hair with tight, frizzy curls. Or her crisp, crystal blue eyes and a face that was drowning in freckles. She was approachable and dimpled and shy and friendly and everything a little girl was expected to be.

She hated it. She hated foster care, she hated group homes, and she hated the kids that she had to live with. They called her Baby and thought they could push her around just because some jerk caught her crying under the covers one night. "Boo hoo. So what you got no mom and dad. Neither do we and you don't see _us_ bein' babies." They'd say. _Well fuck them_. That's what Emma would tell her when they'd hide under the sheets together and pretend that everything was okay. Jennifer would laugh and her cheeks would flush and her eyes would sparkle with unshed tears. Her breath would hitch and Emma would hug her until the world melted away.

If those kids saw her now they'd wonder what the hell had changed. She still had brown, curly hair and eyes as blue as the ocean; she was still suffocating in freckles and her dimples still dug into her cheeks. So she'd tell them that Swan had changed. After turning eighteen she'd gone straight to the Boston civil court and changed it back to her birth name: Alexander. It hadn't been difficult.

The only reason that it had been changed to Swan in the first place was because the Swans had been ready to adopt her and Emma. But after a heartbreaking summer of babies and divorce and life just generally falling apart for the family, Emma and Jennifer were sent back. It was terrible and devastating, and they never even bothered to give her her birth name back. At the time, Jennifer hadn't minded all that much. She and Emma~almost eleven~chocked it up to fate. They were destined to be sisters or something just as ridiculous. After Emma left, though, she wanted to be Jennifer Alexander again: as an ode to the parents she missed so badly or maybe just to distance herself from the pain that Emma Swan had inflicted. Either way, she didn't care. The deed was done, and she never looked back.

Thinking about it now, however, she pondered another more existential reason. Swan felt cheap and temporary, and she didn't want to live a lie.

Jennifer understood that the question was merely Emma's insatiable curiosity and not something to be offended by, so she answered honestly. "Could you imagine being called Emma Blanchard?"

"Emma Blanchard?" She echoed with a furrowed brow. There was a moment of strange hesitation and confliction before she shook her head. "No. No way."

"Well, Jenny Swan feels the same as Emma Blanchard does." She explained pointedly. Emma fell silent, thinking. It wasn't until they'd gone through three different stop lights that she spoke again, a deep furrow in her brow.

"Jenny, look, I want you to meet me at Granny's tonight at seven. Give me a chance to explain myself." Jennifer sighed, sinking back into her seat as Emma watched her anxiously.

"I have a question, first."

"Anything."

"Do you regret it?" She watched Emma carefully. "Do you regret leaving?"

Emma opened then closed her mouth, her brow rising then falling. She sighed painfully, and Jennifer's heart sunk down to her toes. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? It's a yes or no question." Jennifer reminded her accusingly. Emma sighed sympathetically.

"Just hear me out, okay? Please?" Jennifer felt like crying. She felt like she deserved to be left. Emma must have seen that. " _Jennifer_. Please, I owe you that." She took a deep breath, nodding through the prickling of tears in her eyes, keeping her chin high.

"Right, you do owe me that."

. . .

The sea of angry townspeople was growing rowdier by the minute without someone to lead them, but Regina kept her distance. It seemed that, as of late, she and the people of Storybrooke had a mutual hatred for each other~especially after she burned those magic beans. Good thing they didn't know she was keeping some in her office. So it was probably for the best that she didn't get involved. Things could get very ugly very quickly with her magic involved, and she was already in a bad mood as it was.

Her morning coffee had been rudely interrupted that day by a phone call from Miss Swan saying that there was a town meeting at nine, and she needed to be there. Considering that the town was ready to turn their pitchforks to her door at the slightest provocation, if a Charming wanted her there then something must be seriously wrong.

Of course~ _of course_ ~they had a crisis on their hands. _When didn't they?_ She wondered as both of the Charmings came bursting in through the doors and strode purposefully down the aisle. Quickly, the voices simmered down and people took their seats. She couldn't help but scoff. Just the sight of those two idiots was enough to quiet an angry mob. Even though Regina was the mayor it was abundantly clear that, right now, Snow and Charming were in charge.

She watched from the back as Charming silenced the remaining chatter with his booming voice. Her gaze wandered to Snow. She looked so princess-like standing there with her head held up, so high and mighty despite that black spot, that tarnished, soot colored hole in the otherwise perfect red of her heart. She enjoyed the thought of it so much that she actually smiled from her place against the wall.

"I'm sure many of you have noticed that we have an outside in our midst." Snow told everyone, and they nodded, muttering among themselves. Regina's brow instantly knotted and anger boiled in her chest. Somehow it didn't surprise her that she was the very last person in town to find out about this. Why would they bother to tell the Evil Queen? Who would _dare_? But, more pressingly, how the hell did someone get into Storybrooke? Never in the history of this town had anyone ever wandered in from the outside. So there was a genuine situation then~the Charmings weren't overreacting like they usually did.

"As far as David and I know, she's not a threat!" Snow continued, holding her hands up to the town to calm the sudden uproar of fearful voices.

Just as the crowd was finally starting to irritate her, two more people walked through the doors: Emma and Henry. Immediately, her expression softened~ _Henry_. He'd been living with Emma for a while now, and she missed him in her life. He was another thing the Charmings had taken from her~well, the Charming's offspring but she was just as _Charming_ as her parents whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"Emma can tell us more!" Charming exclaimed, and Regina glanced in the blonde's direction curiously. The room quieted as Emma took her place next to her parents.

She told everybody the woman's name, Jennifer, and gave the town the weakest backstory Regina had ever heard in her entire life. She told them that Jennifer was a good person and that all she wanted to do was leave town, so they shouldn't worry about her.

"How do we know she won't tell everyone about Storybrooke after she leaves?" Leroy shouted over the cacophony of people.

"Why should we trust her?" Ruby added. There was a chorus of agreement. Snow and Charming looked to Emma.

"Because _I_ trust her." She yelled firmly. She sighed as if trying to decide whether she should explain further. The town seemed to be slightly pacified by Emma's seal of approval but not enough to let this _Jennifer_ off the hook. "Look, I've known Jenny since we were ten! She'll respect our privacy." There was a stunned moment of silence. Regina raised her brow and folded her arms over her chest, leaning back against the wall. Since they were ten, huh? Emma's face reddened, and she swallowed. "She's a good person. There's nothing to worry about. I'll have her out as soon as her car is repaired."

Miss Swan's constant reassurances seemed to finally quiet the suspicions of Storybrooke because after a few grumblings and some final words of caution from the Charmings, the crowd began to disperse. When the town hall was empty, Regina pushed herself from the wall and strode through the pews to the front, her heels clicking loudly on the floor.

"A stranger in Storybrooke, hm? As mayor, don't you think I should have been notified sooner?" Regina asked, poorly masking her disdain with feigned politeness and a tight lip.

"There was no _reason_ for you to be. I had it under control." Emma answered defiantly, subconsciously pulling Henry closer to her side.

"Jennifer's a nice person. She won't cause any trouble." Snow explained with a shake of her head.

"Oh, Snow's met her too?" Regina drawled sarcastically.

"Regina, come on." Emma sighed.

"I am still the mayor of this town, Miss Swan, and I expect to be informed when something _happens_ in it." She told Emma angrily, her words pointed and sharp, her eyes cold and stony. Emma's gaze hardened as she clutched Henry. "I assume you put her up at Granny's?"

"Where else would I?" Emma asked rhetorically. Regina stared disapprovingly, fed up with her smart ass attitude.

"She's family, Regina; she's not a threat." Snow reinforced. Regina raised her brow. Her gaze~ _everyone's_ gaze~turned to Emma.

"Family?" Regina asked in confusion. Mary Margaret reddened as Emma glared at her. A secret family. Oh how she loved to watch the Charmings fall apart.

"Jenny's my...sister. Sort of. It's complicated." She dismissed with a shake of her head.

"Sister?" Henry asked excitedly, pulling away from Emma. "Does that mean I have an aunt? In Storybrooke?" He was practically bouncing with energy he was so excited.

"Kid, hold on a minute. It's not that simple. We haven't seen each other in more years than you've been alive. She doesn't know that you exist. Give me some time."

" _Sister_. Not blood related I assume unless Mary Margaret somehow managed to spawn another Charming behind my back." Regina commented, more curious than angry now.

"Blood related, no, but they did share a last name." Mary Margaret confirmed. Emma gave her a look. Regina sighed.

"Another Swan. Perfect."

. . .

He hadn't gone to the town meeting that morning, but he'd heard from Belle that there was a visitor in Storybrooke. More specifically but less relevantly, a friend of Emma's~a _Swan_ so the rumors went. This immediately raised alarm bells in his mind. If one person could get in then that meant that other people could find and enter Storybrooke. One person could be dealt with but a sea of people—possibly tourists—would be harder to get rid of and magic harder to conceal.

They'd never had someone wander into Storybrooke before. And he didn't count that man and his son because the town had materialized around them. The point is that it shouldn't _happen_ , and that meant that the integrity of the protection spell was degrading. So what he'd felt before—something being wrong with magic—had been this other Swan's doing. What else _could_ it be? After all, he doesn't believe in coincidences.

So he strode purposefully through the streets of Storybrooke, a certain spell book tucked safely under his arm. That was when black hair and sky high heels came walking down the sidewalk, and he plastered on a smile. "Speak of the devil. Hello, Regina." He drawled as they stopped walking.

"Rumple." She responded tersely. Her gaze caught the old spell book under his arm, and she narrowed her eyes. The suspicious flick of her lashes told him that she recognized the book instantly. "That's my mother's spell book." She stated, keeping her expression neutral. "How did you get it?"

"I'm sure you've heard about our little guest?"

"Of course, but what does she have to do with you? Miss Swan is dealing with her." Regina supplied dismissively. Contrary to the show she put on at the courthouse, she was too bitter towards the Charmings to bother getting involved. She didn't care enough about one silly little outsider to bother with it just yet.

"Just ask yourself one question, dearie. How did she get into Storybrooke? Emma got in because she's the savior—but this woman?" He motioned down to the book. "Our lovely protection spell is falling apart and right when she arrives? Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd?"

Regina pressed her lips together as her gaze hardened. How had she not realized this at the courthouse? How had she not felt the change in the magic? She must have been preoccupied with the Charmings. But a threat to Storybrooke was a threat to Henry and under no circumstances could she have that. So she turned her attention to Rumple's~ _Cora's_ ~spellbook.

"What are you doing with the book?" She asked again.

"Just examining the protection spell is all." He told her nonchalantly even though his eyes were flashing with secrets. She practically scowled at him. He eyed her. "And while I'm doing that why don't you pay this woman a visit—gather information on our mysterious Swan."


	4. Cora's Spellbook

_4: Cora's Spellbook_

Her first night at Granny's B&B went off without a hitch, and she was so glad too because she was fucking _exhausted_. Between her car crash~which, to be honest, was a little traumatic~and seeing Emma again she'd had a hell of a day. The next morning, she hobbled back down to the diner for breakfast. God, those bruises were killing her. Mrs. Lucas, or Granny as she liked to be called, was kind to her. A little suspicious, yes, but kind all the same. So when Jennifer sat down at the bar Granny smiled at her and asked what she wanted to order. Hash browns and a sunny side up egg. Yeah, that sounded _really_ good right now in comparison to hospital mush.

Storybrooke, from what Jennifer's observed so far, is a quaint little town in the middle of Nowhere, Maine. There are never any radios on or TVs dialed into news stations. They are, in a sense, completely isolated from civilization. She supposed that once and awhile it's just nice to get away, but she couldn't imagine living here her entire life, let alone _Emma_ living here. Emma always said she wanted to live in a city with hundreds of yellow cabs and neon lights and glistening glass towers. But maybe what she really wanted was _people_. And, who knows, maybe she found her people here in Storybrooke.

As she ate, she noticed that those same people seemed unusually weary of her. They weren't overtly suspicious, just curiously unnerved. And they kept _staring_ at her. She hated people staring at her. She hated them _gossiping_ about her.

Not to mention that she was terribly self conscious of the stitches running over her left eyebrow and down to her temple. It was red and puffy and hurt like a bitch. Normal, yes, but embarrassing all the same. She'd checked Dr. Whale's handiwork in the mirror last night (looking for a reason to hate him) and was surprisingly satisfied. If everything went smoothly she'd barely have a scar. But it didn't make her any less self conscious _now_. Letting a curl fall over her eyes, she just tried to ignore them.

Breaking the whispered conversations they thought she couldn't hear, the bell above Granny's door chimed. Swallowing a mouthful of hash browns, she glanced over. A woman strode in and, as she did, the diner grew even quieter in the warm, morning sun. Her black heels clicked rhythmically on the linoleum as she walked, cutting effortlessly through the judgments of Granny's patrons, an entity all her own. Jennifer admired that. For a moment the woman's gaze raked around the room before her eyes settled on Jennifer. _Wait_ , _what_? She hated to admit that her heart sped up as the woman approached. Her silky black hair, blood red lipstick, and piercing, rich brown eyes were both intimidating and attractive. She was beautiful and regal and way, way out Jennifer's league.

The woman's lips spread back into a tight but sparklingly polite smile as she neared. "You must be the other Swan." She drawled, her voice sandy and thick as she stood next to Jennifer at the bar. Her eyes were calculating and quick and frigid, and Jennifer thought it was such an interesting choice of first words. She seemed threatened by Jennifer, and it was coming out as contempt.

The gap between the woman's words and Jennifer's absent reaction must have been slightly too long because the woman was staring at her with an expectant~and slightly annoyed~gaze. Embarrassed, it immediately ripped her from her thoughts.

"It's Alexander, actually." She corrected, trying not to focus on the blush that was surely spreading across her cheeks. The woman raised her brow, verging on impatient. She swallowed. " _Jennifer_." She continued. "...Alexander." She finished awkwardly before holding out her hand to shake. The brunette eyed her outstretched hand before finally taking it in her own. Her grip was firm and her hand cold.

"Regina Mills, mayor of Storybrooke." Regina. How... _regal_. "I heard that you're staying in town for a few days." She stated in an attempt to make conversation.

"Yeah, I am." She confirmed nonchalantly. "Just until my car's repaired though. I was, well, supposed to be at this conference in Portland yesterday, but that's not happening anymore." She explained then frowned as she processed what Regina had said. "Hold on, who told you I was staying? I mean, it's like the whole _town_ knows." She protested, glancing out the window before meeting the mayor's gaze expectantly.

"Storybrooke is...a small town. Word travels fast." Regina offered with a feigned smile and a seemingly helpless shrug. Jennifer hummed, her suspicion apparent to Regina now. In response, the mayor's eyes narrowed momentarily.

"The town's been whispering about me all morning." Jennifer added with a disapproving shake of her head. "Swan this and Swan that without even asking my _name_."

"Emma Swan is a very popular person. We rarely get strangers in Storybrooke so when that stranger happens to be connected to Miss _Swan_ , well, let's just say Storybrooke likes to gossip." Her nose crinkled when she said that last part, leaning forwards like it was a dirty little secret. Regina's eyes sparkled, and Jennifer's lips turned down and her brow crinkled. Her life was _her_ life, not the _town's_.

"Look, I get that Emma's important to Storybrooke. She's the sheriff or what the hell ever. But I am _not_ a _Swan_ , and I _don't_ appreciate gossip." She stated firmly.

Regina could see the annoyance in Jennifer's pale blue irises and leaned back against the counter, a furrow in her brow. Curious. "Miss Alexander, by addressing you as the other Swan I didn't mean to _offend_. I was simply expressing the sentiments of Storybrooke. As for the gossip, I can only ask that you don't shoot the messenger."

Her tone was friendly, almost suspiciously so. Something was off about Regina. It was like the world was slightly tilted on its axis around her. Everything twisted to how she wanted it. Jennifer didn't know if she liked it or was frightened by it.

"Right, sorry." She hated that that was the only dumb thing she could think to say, but Regina did have a point. It was the way she talked: articulate and musing and directed towards her and only her. She was cold and persuasive, gorgeous and regal, intimidating yet polite. And Jennifer didn't know what to make of it. "You're right. I'll shoot Emma." She joked as Regina raised her brow. "I mean, of all the towns she could live in and all the roads I could have driven…"

"You think it's _fate_?" Regina asked with a ridiculous sort of laugh.

"Coincidence." Jennifer corrected. "I don't believe in fate."

"You do sound like Emma." Regina muttered under her breath.

"Do you, Ms. Mills?" Jennifer inquired. Regina glanced at her. "Believe in fate." She clarified, throwing Regina off balance. No one's ever asked her that. It was a rather personal question, she thought. With an uncomfortable smoothing of her blazer, she cleared her throat.

"It's almost 8:30. I should be getting to work." Regina breathed. "Have a good day, Miss Alexander." Jennifer wanted to say goodbye, but Regina had already begun to walk away. And after she left Jennifer was still staring at the door.

Regina intimidated her. That was for sure. The thing was, she couldn't help but like it. She liked the low drawl of Regina's voice and the smoothness of her skin when they shook hands and the way she held herself, tall and powerful. She was _enthralled_ by this woman. Regina was gorgeous. Her outfit was impeccable. Her regality was beguiling. And that scar above her lip was practically delectable.

"Hmm." She hummed curtly, curiously.

. . .

Instead of heading to the office like she told Miss Alexander, she went to see Gold. She didn't know why this all felt so urgent. Maybe because it was. Maybe because this Other Swan unnerved her.

Something about her was different. Different, at least, than anyone in Storybrooke~in the Enchanted Forest. Different was unpredictable. And unpredictable was dangerous.

In all honesty, she'd never bothered to figure out how the protection spell over the town worked. It was Rumple's idea to use old magic after all; all _she_ did was cast it. At the time, all she cared about was that it worked. Now she wished that she'd taken more initiative instead of whittling her days away under the temporary comfort of victory. Most spell books were were written in new elvish. However, the one that Gold was using was written in an ancient form of elvish that she couldn't read. She wished she'd taken the time to learn it because now she had to _rely_ on Rumpelstiltskin.

With gritted teeth she strode through the door, the bell chiming overhead. She tried to look powerful when she walked, especially in Gold's presence because he knew things that she didn't. She hated him for it. She dreaded not having the upper hand.

Gold sauntered in from the back. "How did your _chat_ go?" He asked with a sharp lilt to his voice as she approached the glass counter that separated them.

"Fine. Short but fine. Jennifer Alexander is…" Regina hesitated, trying to find just one word to describe the enigma that was Miss Alexander. The mayor took a breath and brought her gaze back to Gold's, "far from ordinary."

And it was the truth. Regina legitimately couldn't think of anything better to say about her. They had had a two minute conversation, and what she had learned was that Jennifer was acutely aware of other people, slightly awkward, very thoughtful, and annoyingly curious. Regina thought about saying that, but the words died on her tongue.

Gold raised his brow. Seeing the cogs turn in his head, Regina shook her own. "...But not threatening. Our conversation was brief but she wasn't looking for conflict. I think it's safe to assume that she'll be leaving just as soon as she can." Regina supplied with a confident nonchalance to her demeanor, slightly pacifying Rumple. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that everything she'd just said was everything Emma had said to the town. Her satisfaction faded. He might as well have gone to the damn meeting himself!

"Why am I here?" Her voice was suspicious now, and Gold picked up on it.

"I was _getting_ to that." In one swift movement, he pulled Cora's spellbook from under the counter and set it before her. She stared at it then back at him before shaking her head.

"I assume you're using that to repair the protection spell." She reasoned.

"Indeed." He confirmed with a small nod.

"And I take it you're no longer worried about this Other Swan. She'll be leaving in the next few days if I have anything to do with it. A little memory wipe will take care of her."

Gold took a breath and dragged his thumb along the spotless counter in front of him, his face cool. "That might not be ideal anymore, Madam Mayor." He looked up at her, and she furrowed her brow. "Last night I was checking on the integrity of the protection spell. It's falling apart."

Immediately, Regina's eyes widened in surprise as she thought about the hell that would be raised if outsiders found out about this town. But she was still confused. "What does that have to do with Miss Alexander? Why would you want to _keep_ her here?"

"That, dearie, is just as complicated as what's causing this." He told her. "But first…" He pushed the book toward her. "...the protection spell. Though it was my idea to use old magic, I can't wield it myself. You, like your mother, _can_ , however."

She raised her brow and scoffed. "I can't _read_ old elvish." His face dropped.

"What do you mean you _can't read it_ _?_ You _cast_ it!"

"I'd seen my mother cast enough old elvish to figure it out, but she never _taught_ me." She shot back, and he scoffed, turning away from the counter. It was clear that he couldn't read it either. She frowned.

"The rest of the curse is built on principles of new magic. Remind me how are the two even compatible?" She was frustrated and confused as she placed her hands on the countertop and leaned forward. Maybe there was a clue somewhere in there to help them. He turned back to her, trying to control his frustration.

"Old and new magic are like oil and water, but when combined together correctly, they can be unstoppable. Old elvish is less predictable, rawer, but also more powerful than new magic. But new magic is more precise. If the spell was cast correctly, and it was, then it should be virtually unbreakable. Since you were the one to create this town, I'd expect that anything that altered the spell so severely would come from your hand. However, since it clearly did not, I can only look to Miss Alexander for answers."

"I highly doubt that she has anything to do with it~at least consciously."

"You think she has magic?"

"No, she's not from our world." She frowned, remembering that Rumple can see into the future. "Something this big...did you know this was going to happen?" Rumple almost laughed at her question and answered with one of his own.

"Are you asking if I think it's fate?" Her frown deepened. Miss Alexander's words floated to the surface of her mind, echoing loudly in her ears. _Do you believe in fate?_

No. No. It's absurd. Improbable. It's not _fate_.

"I didn't think you believed in fate." Gold added, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I didn't think _you_ did." She put forth, trying to conceal her unease. He chuckled.

"Regina," he leaned forward, "I _create_ fate." A shiver ran down her spine. Gold pulled the book towards him again. "The protection spell's very purpose was to keep anyone _not_ from the Enchanted Forest _out_. Because Sheriff Swan came through with no damage to the spell, it proves that she's from our world. Miss Alexander shouldn't have been able to get through, yet she did. The question is: why? Though you may have taken a _shining_ to her, we can't exclude the possibility that this Other Swan may have caused this."

"I have not taken a shining~!" Gold glared at her, and she sighed in annoyance, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, rolling her eyes. He continued.

"And until we can rule her out, we have to keep her here." Regina stared at him for a moment when he fell silent. His cryptic words, his guesses...

"You have no idea how this could have happened." She shook her head. His gaze turned to her, cold and blank. He was hiding something.

"All I know is that it's either you or her." His stare unnerved her. She took her hands from the counter and stepped back, sighing, clearing her head. "And now that I know you can't read old elvish I suppose I'll have to work on translating it." He continued. The mention of the book again piqued her interest. _Cora's_ spellbook. She wondered how Rumpelstiltskin had acquired it. If she knew her mother at all, she knew that Cora wouldn't give up something as valuable as that.

"Speaking of, how did you get this?" She asked, stepping towards the counter again. "That spellbook used to be my mother's, and I doubt she'd just _give_ it to you." Though most would find her Evil Queen persona rather intimidating, it did not amuse Rumple. Calmly and coldly he spoke, leaning forward across the counter.

"Don't you have a town to run...and now another Swan to shepherd as well?" He inquired dismissively. She bristled but didn't retaliate. To Regina, her mother had always been confusing but predictable in her conniving ways. She was never mysterious though. And that was intriguing.

Gold's refusal to address the subject made Regina want to do everything but drop it. Nevertheless, she gave Gold one last suspicious glare before turning and striding out of the pawn shop. Unearthing her mother's final secret was one of the many bullet points on her ever growing to do list.


	5. Family

_5: Family_

Jennifer had four hours until she had to be at Granny's to talk with Emma. So, to give Emma~and herself~the chance that she deserved, she immersed herself in Storybrooke. And the more she discovered about this town the more she wondered why Emma had stayed. And that had her curious.

Over a decade has passed since they last saw each other. Things are different. It's clear that both of them have changed. At first it didn't seem like Emma had changed at all. But now that she'd gotten to know the town a bit better she's come to realize that the thieving delinquent she'd known was long gone. She couldn't help but wonder what had caused her to change.

What had shown _Jennifer_? Time, she supposed. Distance. Perspective. She'd been a passive, frightened little girl who was torn up by the neglect, deceit, and cruelty of the foster system. But from her experiences she learned three things: complete self-reliance, the philosophy that life screws a hell of a lot of people over, and the fact that there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.

That, she figured, was when time, distance, and perspective came in. Out in the real world her three lessons from foster care still hold true, but it was only with time and distance away from the foster system that she gained some perspective~a fourth life lesson.

A person's will can supersede nearly all obstacles. And she believed that. At 18, fresh out of the system, she had had little money, no family, and no connections. But she got accepted into college, and she worked and worked and worked her ass off until she made connections and people knew her name and she accomplished her goals. It was arduous, and she was by no means a perfect person. But so far she's been one of the luckier ones in this life. And she was endlessly grateful for what she had because she'd still found happiness and purpose through all of her shit.

So why was an event that happened over a decade ago still bothering her?

Maybe because it seemed unnecessary. Two years was all Emma had to live through. She'd already lived sixteen. What were two more? It seemed _so_ needless, in fact, that she viewed it as a reflection on herself. She believed, for the longest time, that she deserved to be abandoned. She hated that Emma had done that to her. But, more importantly, she hated that Emma couldn't even apologize for it.

Thirteen years was a long time to be angry, to hold a grudge. Seeing Emma again and spitting those scathing words to her was Jennifer's gut reaction to a wound that she hadn't even thought about in years.

Forgiveness was another lesson she had to learn the hard way. The anger towards her foster parents and Emma and her family ate her up in college. Her Aunt Kate and Uncle Lawrence especially because they could have taken her in after her parents died, but they didn't. It kept hurting her for years until she finally realized that this unresolved anger was doing more harm than good. So, slowly, she learned to forgive solely for the sake of her sanity.

But with Emma she actually had a chance to make things right. Jennifer was willing to forgive. She wanted this over. She wanted to move on. But it was still bothering her because Emma, after all these years, can't even apologize for abandoning Jennifer like their relationship had meant nothing.

That's why she was angry.

. . .

"Hey!" There was a piercing voice and quick, thumping footsteps behind her. "You're Jennifer Swan!" Confused, she turned to find a little boy, no older than eleven, running at her on the sidewalk. Backpack bouncing on his back, shocks of brown hair blowing in the wind, and bright green eyes that lit up with a grin. She raised her brow, eyeing the boy in amusement and surprise.

"How did you know?" She asked, stopping to let him catch his breath. He hooked his fingers under the straps on his backpack.

"I know everyone in Storybrooke, but I didn't recognize you."

"Process of elimination, nice." She nodded, a knowing smile on her lips. "But it's Alexander, actually. Not Swan." In response, he stuck out his hand, and she shook it. Firm grip for an eleven year old.

"Well, I'm Henry."

"You don't see many Henry's anymore. Nice name, kid, it suits you." She nodded as they started walking again.

"Thanks. So how long are you staying?"

"Just until my car's fixed." His little brow furrowed as he looked up at her.

"Did you crash it?"

"Yeah, right into the town sign. There was a wolf in the middle of the road; can you believe it?" His ears perked up at that.

"A wolf?" He asked in shock. "When my mom first came to Storybrooke there was a wolf in the road, too."

"Wow, that's...a pretty weird coincidence. You know, it was _strange_ now that I think about it. What would a wolf be doing out in the rain? I hate to say it, but it was almost like _fate_. I mean, honestly, the one wolf that's dumb enough to be out in the rain just happens to be standing in the road that I'm driving while I _happen_ to not be able to see ten feet in front of me?" She looked down at Henry and could practically see the cogs turning in his head.

"Maybe you were meant to come to Storybrooke then." He proposed. She chuckled.

"To do _what_?"

"I don't know yet."

"Well, you tell me when you do, kid." She chuckled. Such a funny little boy. He pointed to her right arm. She was wearing a sleeveless top, and he must have noticed her tattoos.

"Why a skeleton? Why is it dancing?" She glanced down at it. It was done with black ink and most definitely her favorite tattoo. She looked to Henry and smiled.

"Because people are pretty cool." Henry peered thoughtfully at her arm but didn't say anything more. About the tattoo at least. He kept chatting about this or that, and she couldn't help but enjoy his innocence. She hoped that he'd keep it because as a doctor she'd taken a lot of shit for having visible tattoos (let alone the ones people didn't usually see). It had taken a lot of hard work and a hell of a thick skin for her to break past that stereotype. So she loved it when kids saw the art on her body for the art that it was.

"I gotta go." He told her suddenly, and she looked up, thoroughly snapped from her thoughts. They were standing in front of a tall, brick apartment building. Henry must have led her here, and she didn't even realize.

"Live here?" She asked, and he nodded. "Alright, well maybe I'll see you again before I leave." She smiled at the grin that burst from his cheeks.

"Great! We can get ice cream after school or something!" He shouted after her, walking backwards up the sidewalk to his building. "Bye, Miss Alexander!" He shouted before disappearing through the front door. She chuckled at him once and, with a shake of her head, continued on her way.

. . .

Seven o'clock came quickly after that. She was anxiously munching on a plate of fries at a booth in the corner when Emma walked in, no sheriff's badge on her hip this time. With a deep breath, the blonde took a seat across from Jennifer whose crystal blue eyes were tracking Emma expectantly. "So." Emma exhaled.

"So." Jennifer responded. They were silent for a long moment, the air growing awkward and thick between them. Dishes rattled, and the handful of customers chatted. "Why don't you just start with why you left."

Emma sighed, leaning back in the booth. Jennifer stared, elbows on the table. Emma shifted in her seat, took a breath, and met Jennifer's gaze.

"I just didn't feel like I belonged in the foster system anymore. I was sixteen. I thought I was invincible. I thought I knew everything there was to know. I felt like the foster system was holding me back. I just...didn't want to be _owned_ anymore." Emma sighed. "And I felt like I was holding _you_ back." Jennifer's chest tightened in surprise. "I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't agree, but, Jenny, you were so _smart_. People weren't fostering you because you'd only let them take you in if I came too. People didn't want me. I was a delinquent. You became a delinquent by default. All I wanted was for you to be with a good family."

"You _were_ my family, Emma." Jennifer shot back. "I didn't _want_ to be fostered; I thought you knew that!" Her voice was starting to get louder so she sighed, her eyes closing for a moment because she could feel the eyes of the diner on them. "If you had _told_ me that you wanted to leave~if you had said that you'd keep in touch~why the fucking hell would I have stopped you? If you had talked to me and told me how you were feeling…" She shook her head and leaned back against the booth. Her appetite was gone.

"I was a kid. I didn't even think about it from your point of view, my self esteem was in the trash, and I just thought it would be all better if I was gone." Jennifer sat up again.

"Emma, I was never adopted. No one fostered me any differently than they did before you left, and you know what? It didn't even matter. I went to college, and I worked my ass off, and I got my degree. I know; I get it. The system made it seem like you wouldn't amount to anything without foster parents. The thing is, I made a life for myself, and I'm sure you did too." She searched Emma's eyes. "But it didn't happen because you left."

"What do you want me to say?" Emma asked helplessly. Jennifer fell silent. Ruby scrubbed the counter methodically.

"I want you to _apologize_ to me." Jennifer licked her lips, searching Emma's eyes. "When you walked into my hospital room I~I was shocked, _thrilled_! I couldn't believe it, and I would have forgiven you on the spot. But I can't _do_ that you if you just dismiss my _pain_ as kids being kids. Don't make me feel like a used toy, Emma. I mean, come on, you've gotta feel _some_ remorse for just _leaving_ me like that!" Emma scoffed loudly.

"Yeah, of course I do now that I know how you _felt_ about it. Up until yesterday I just thought I had done what was best for you. I thought you'd appreciate it." Emma replied accusingly, her voice building, her neck taut. "But I can't just _apologize_ because if I hadn't left then I wouldn't have my _son_."

Immediately, Jennifer unclenched her fists and let the air out of her lungs and dropped her shoulders. _What_?

" _Son_?"

Emma saw how Jennifer's eyes widened, and she relaxed as well. Suddenly exhausted, she leaned back against the booth and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"When I was eighteen I got into some...trouble. It's a long story. The point is that the guy I was with~Neal~sold me out, and I got sent to jail pregnant." For a stunned moment, all of Jennifer's anger melted into shock.

" _Pregnant_?" Jennifer echoed, doing the math in her head. "That means that your son must be _eleven_. Oh my god, Emma, you're a _mother_." She leaned back against the booth, drinking Emma up in a far different light than before.

"His name's Henry."

" _Henry_? Henry as in the Henry I just met on the sidewalk today? Brown hair, red and gray scarf?"

"Yeah! Yeah, you met him?"

"He must have been coming home from school. Emma, oh my god. No wonder you settled in this damn town. It's white picket fence after white fucking picket fence here!" She laughed and shook her head. "Henry's a good kid, Emma. Really, he's lovely."

"Well, Jenny, look. I didn't... _raise_ him."

"What?"

"I gave him up. I was eighteen; I could barely handle _myself_ let alone a baby. I don't have a college education. If I had raised him you think we'd be living in a place like Storybrooke? Last year, Henry showed up at my door in Boston and told me that he was my son. I took him home, and I never left." She shrugged.

"So who adopted him in Storybrooke?"

"The mayor. I don't know if you know her. Regina Mills."

" _Regina_?" Jennifer asked, leaning forward in the booth.

"I take it you met her then."

"She doesn't seem like the mothering type. I mean, not that I'm complaining. She raised a hell of a little gentleman." Emma nodded while Jennifer sat in shock. Emma, the little girl she knew thirteen years ago, the trouble maker, was a _mother_. And Regina Mills, gorgeous and intimidating and a hell of a mystery, was a _mother_. She didn't know which seemed less likely.

" _Mother_." Jennifer hissed, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. She stared at Emma and shook her head. " _Sheriff_ too. How the hell did that happen?"

"In Boston I was a bail bondsperson." Emma shrugged.

"Of course. Why didn't I just automatically assume that _you_ ~the patron saint of innocence and all that is righteous~would plant yourself firmly behind the thin blue line?" Jennifer's snark was playful, and Emma reacted accordingly.

"Alright then, _Jennifer Irene_. What have _you_ been doing for thirteen years?"

"Practicing medicine actually." Jennifer admitted, but before Emma could congratulate her on living her childhood dream, Jennifer shook her off as if just realizing something cataclysmically important. "Okay, freeze. Wait a minute. What the hell were you in jail for?"


	6. Swans and Mills

_6: Swans and Mills_

"How was it?" Were the first words Emma heard when she slid through the front door at ten o'clock that night. Of course Mary Margaret was up waiting for her. She took a breath.

"Draining." Her tired nod said it all. "She hasn't forgiven me, and I still feel like a piece of shit. We did just spend the last three hours reliving the last nine years of our lives for each other, though, so...I think it went as well as it could have."

"Well, I'm just glad you two are talking again." She supplied as Emma flopped down next to her. "When Henry came home he talked for an hour straight about Jennifer."

"Yeah, Jenny told me she met him." Emma sighed just as the little squirt came running down the stairs in his pajamas.

"Emma! Where have you been? Jennifer said she'd take me out for ice cream after school tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Emma asked curiously, more than a little skeptical. He nodded enthusiastically. "I think I might have to ask her about that first, kid." His smile fell. "That doesn't mean _no_." She added, and he perked up again before happily flopping down in an arm chair.

"Jennifer called me kid, too." He said matter-of-factly.

"Did she now?" Mary Margaret inquired curiously. There was no doubt in Emma's mind that Mary Margaret wanted to know _everything_. By her logic, if Emma and Jennifer were practically sisters then Mary Margaret was practically Jennifer's mother.

"I used to call her kid." Emma shrugged.

"Aren't you the same age?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Potato, potahto."

"Jennifer has this really cool tattoo on her arm; have you seen it? It's a skeleton. Oh, and Jennifer said she saw a wolf in the road, you know. She said that was why she crashed. You told me there was a wolf in the road when you first came to Storybrooke, too. So I think that she was _meant_ to come to Storybrooke."

"Like fate?" Mary Margaret inquired. She was half just indulging the eleven year old and half legitimately curious. Somewhere between curses and evil queens and fairytale endings she'd begun to believe in fate just like she believed in true love.

"Yeah, fate!" He agreed. "I don't know why yet. I might have to reread the book to figure it out." He nodded at them. He was such a precocious boy. Mary Margaret admired that about him. So confident, too. And he wasn't afraid to make mistakes. He just went wherever his imagination took him. There was a brief pause. Henry glanced at his mom. "So is Jennifer your sister? 'Cause that's what Mary Margaret said. Does that make her my aunt?" Emma was so emotionally drained by this point that she barely processed what Henry was saying.

"Your aunt?"

"Yeah!" He grinned. "I've never had an aunt." Emma stumbled, blinking furiously. She didn't quite know what to say to that. So, Mary Margaret stepped in.

"I think you might have to ask Jennifer if you can call her that, honey." She nodded with a soft, warm smile. Taking a glance at an exhausted Emma, Mary Margaret stood up. "You know what else I think? I think it's time for bed."

Once Mary Margaret had ushered a reluctant and stubborn Henry up to bed, she came back down and sat next to Emma. "What exactly does Jennifer need your forgiveness for?" She questioned curiously. She'd been dying to know for a while now.

Emma hummed, her eyes glassy with sleep. She sighed deeply, turning to gaze at Mary Margaret. "I left her. We were sixteen. Didn't even say goodbye." She shook her head. "Now that she's had the chance to explain her side to me I feel like an idiot. I mean, I don't think that I could have been any _less_ aware of her feelings."

"Why did you leave?"

"I was a teenager. I wanted independence. And I...I thought I was doing what was best for Jenny. I wanted a family to adopt her, and that wasn't going to happen with me in the picture. I just have a hard time apologizing because I got Henry from leaving Jenny."

"Did you explain that to her?"

"Yeah." Emma sighed heavily. Mary Margaret had the feeling that both of them were caught in between a rock and a hard place. They understood each other's other's reasoning but were too stubborn or proud to let go of their own for the sake of reconciliation.

. . .

Regina had decided somewhere in between the town meeting and Miss Alexander that she was going to reclaim her son. Determination and a fair amount of giddy excitement settled deep into her skin and vibrated at the tips of her fingers at the thought of him in her arms again, her little prince.

She was frustrated, though, because since the curse had broken, the Charmings had taken him in without her consent. But she knew he favored them over her. Maybe it was the excitement of a new family. Maybe she'd pushed him away over the years. Maybe both. Maybe they'd convinced him that she was evil. Either way, enough was enough. She wanted her son back.

So she decided to walk him home from school that afternoon. Maybe she could win him over, make him see that it was the Charmings who were evil, not _her_. First, however, she had to pay a visit to Billy Rose, the mechanic, per Gold's request in order to contain the Other Swan.

Keeping Miss Alexander inside Storybrooke limits wouldn't be terribly difficult. If she simply delayed the repair of her car and played it off well enough, she wouldn't suspect a thing. Then again, this woman did seem to be naturally suspicious of Storybrooke, and from their brief conversation, very good at reading people.

Well, Regina was a good liar.

The click of her heels echoed in the garage. Miss Alexander's car was sitting in the middle of the shop with the driver's side nearly crushed, certainly _crumpled_. The sight of it shocked her, to be honest. It was a miracle that woman hadn't come out of that car more injured than she did.

"Mr. Rose?" She called. A minute later he came waltzing out from behind the corner with a dirty red rag in his hands and oil stains all over his skin and overalls.

"What can I do for you, Mayor Mills?" He asked, a slight New Englander's accent to his voice. She glanced at Miss Alexander's car. It was like some kind of reverse déjà vu. She was sabotaging another Swan except this time she was doing everything in her power to keep her _in_ Storybrooke instead of kick her _out_.

"I need you to delay the repair of Miss Alexander's Lexus."

"But she told me she needs it fixed as soon as possible." He protested weakly. The driver's window was completely missing, the left headlight shattered, and the left side of the hood practically crushed. It looked like this man hadn't even been working on it at all.

"Her plans have changed. She'll be staying in Storybrooke longer than originally planned so her car is no longer a priority." She told him in her mayoral voice, not quite evil queen but certainly threatening enough to get him to listen to her. And with her reputation it wasn't that difficult anyway. He nodded mutely, and she smiled at him in satisfaction. Just as she turned to leave she was startled by none other than Miss Alexander herself. Just perfect. "Miss Alexander!"

"Um, Miss Mills, what are you doing here?" Jennifer asked, brushing a lock of curly hair behind her ear.

"Just checking on Mr. Rose's progress. Sometimes he doesn't do his job as… _efficiently_ …as one would like." She supplied and watched curiously as Jennifer peered around her to find that her car was no more fixed than it had been a few days ago.

"So you want me outta here, then."

"Quite the opposite actually." Regina told her pointedly. Jennifer just stared at Regina for a moment. There was something behind those words that made Jennifer uneasy. It was too bright. Too cheery.

"Where are you headed now?" Jennifer finally asked, and Regina raised her brow. She eyed Miss Alexander in her tee shirt and jeans and hair in a sloppy bun and tattoos peaking out of her shirt in every direction. Just from general interaction she seemed like the polar opposite of Regina. She shouldn't want anything to do with this other Swan.

"I'm going to pick up my son, actually." She told Jennifer, her voice guarded but softer than before. Henry did that to her. Jennifer took a deep breath and nodded.

"Emma told me that you adopted Henry." Regina raised her brow at that, pursing her lips.

" _Did_ she now?" A fire of annoyance sparked in her chest. She hated how strongly being unincluded affected her. Jennifer rubbed the back of her neck.

"Yeah, we kinda had a... _talk_ last night. Tried to work out thirteen years of shit." She sighed. "But you know what, you probably don't care." She shook her head then looked up. "Can I walk with you?" Regina frowned.

" _Walk_ with me?"

"To pick up Henry." Jennifer clarified. "I don't have anything better to do, and I think I accidentally promised him some ice cream. If you let me buy him some, that is."

"You met my son?" Regina asked, a twinge of shock leaking into her voice. Jennifer saw that. Her brow flickered. Her lips parted then closed. She seemed hesitant. They were still standing in the garage. Regina was pretty sure that the mechanic was listening to them as he tinkered with Miss Alexander's car.

"Yesterday. He caught me on the sidewalk." She nodded. "Called me Swan." She chuckled. "He's very much Emma's son." She mused. That snapped Regina out of her daze.

"He's _my_ son." She defended bitterly. Jennifer glanced over at her, the air between them growing rather thick. Why did it constantly feel like Miss Alexander could see exactly what she was thinking? "I don't know how much Miss Swan told you, but she gave Henry up. And when she came back ten years later she _took_ him from me." Jennifer had this deer in the headlights look. "Henry doesn't live with me; he lives with _her_." Regina started walking, her heels clicking on the concrete, and Jennifer jogged to catch up.

"When you give a baby up for adoption you void all parental responsibility. You're Henry's legal mother. She doesn't have rights to him unless you say she does." Jennifer tried to reason. Regina took a deep breath, biting back the bitterness and disgust on her face.

"It doesn't work like that in Storybrooke." Her voice was quiet and low.

"Miss Mills…" Jennifer pleaded. She shook her head. "Emma told me that…" She shut her mouth, realizing what she was about to blurt and figuring it would be far too rude to continue.

"Told you what? That Henry _chose_ to live with her?" Regina shot. Jennifer didn't say anything, and she had her answer. They had stopped walking. "I know who Miss Swan is. I know who Henry is. I don't need a perfect stranger mediating something she knows nothing about." Regina warned, her eyes darkening. Jennifer looked at her with apprehension.

"Mom? Jennifer?" A surprised voice called out. Jennifer swallowed as she watched Regina turn to Henry, her icy exterior quickly melting to a warm smile. She was right. Jennifer had no place in the middle of a custody dispute. And maybe, just maybe, Emma's situation was far more complicated than she'd let on.

Either way this emotional rollercoaster was giving her whiplash.

"Doesn't gra~uh, Mary Margaret always walk me home?" Henry asked Regina.

"I'll be walking you home from now on." She told her son firmly but with a loving note at the end. Jennifer couldn't do anything but watch their interaction with interest. Mayor Mills was a mother. It wasn't quite what she expected. Then again, she didn't really know _what_ she'd expected. Regina was cold and aloof on the outside, but Jennifer had seen brief flashes of the woman underneath.

Henry turned and smiled at her. "Hey, Jennifer."

"Henry." She nodded before he turned back to Regina.

"Can we go get ice cream? Jennifer promised." Regina hesitated, looking from Henry to Jennifer. After their little argument, Jennifer wouldn't be surprised if she said no.

And, to be honest, Regina was very, very close _to_ saying no. But Miss Alexander was just standing there, clueless to what this town really was. A perfect stranger. A seemingly innocent stranger who had befriended her son.

" _Quickly_." She finally relented and Henry grinned. Jennifer's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She didn't say anything at first, and Henry walked ahead of them toward Granny's. She stole glances at the mayor as they walked side by side. Regina wasn't looking at her. Finally, she took a breath and worked up the courage to speak.

"I'm sorry." Jennifer said softly so Henry wouldn't hear. Regina furrowed her brow and glanced sideways at the other woman. "I shouldn't have stepped between you and Emma. The custody of Henry is none of my business." Regina took a breath and turned to look at her son.

"Apology accepted."

. . .

Meanwhile, Gold stood in his shop with a grimace on his face. He'd been through every single translation matrix he had~ _twice_. Nothing. Old elvish was such a dead language that it only existed in the minds of the people who could read it when it was a living language~which, now he knows, is no one thanks to Regina. He supposed he couldn't blame her. Cora was the one who knew old elvish. God knows how.

The thing about old magic is that sorcerers much more powerful than the Dark One had erased everything pertaining to old magic a long time ago, way back before people counted the days. Except those sorcerers had light magic. And, banded together, they could easily overpower the Dark One. After all, what was the use in ridding the realms of old magic when the Dark One could so easily use his or her predecessors knowledge on the subject to, for example, cast a time portal. So, these sorcerers erased all _memories_ of old magic as well.

Now, certain magical powers are genetic which is why Regina is able to cast in old magic like her mother. However, how Cora learned old magic and old elvish is another more vexing subject entirely.

The point was that he was really betting on old elvish. It was far stronger than new elvish and could better withstand the damage that this magic-less realm inflicted on the protection spell. It seeped inside, slow and steady, no matter how they tried to stop it. From the knowledge his cursed self had of this world, he could liken the phenomenon to the principles of diffusion.

If only he had Cora here.


	7. Do You Believe in Fate?

_7: Do You Believe in Fate?_

That night Regina stared pensively into the fire. The heat of the flames licked her cheeks, and lively shadows danced on the walls. She was in her pajamas, and sleep had left hours ago. She glanced at the clock on her wall, the second hand ticking away dispassionately. It had just passed one thirty. Her legs were tucked under her on the couch, and she had a glass of spiked apple cider in her hand as she tugged absentmindedly at a dry piece of skin on her lip.

She kept thinking about what Miss Alexander had said to her.

 _"Do you, Miss Mills? Believe in fate."_

Over and over again it kept replaying in her head. _Did_ she? Well, she liked to think that she could choose her _own_ destiny. Because if losing Daniel and her father and her son and her dignity was what the universe had in store for her then it was just proof that her whole life had been one big plot to screw her over. What the hell had she _done_ to deserve being so royally fucked? If she was to believe in destiny, then _nothing_. All _she_ was, in the grand scheme of things, was the antithesis to Snow's shining glory. She balanced out the universal forces or whatever other bullshit it was at the expense of her own life.

She didn't _want_ to believe in fate was maybe more like it. She wanted to believe that she could change, that her life could change for the _better_. " _I create fate_." Was what Rumple said to her in his shop. She believed that. Though by means of slimy deals and magic, he did create what he _wanted_. She liked to believe that she had the same power over her own life. Even if only just so she could sleep at night.

Why had no one ever asked her if she believed in fate before? It seemed like such a large part of the culture of the Enchanted Forest. The Charmings: they most certainly believed in fate. But that's because everything that's ever happened to them has been so sickly sweet. When your life isn't exactly handed to you on a silver platter, things don't seem so "meant to be" anymore.

Which, she reasoned, is why Miss Alexander didn't believe in fate. Of course, she reasoned that neither did Emma, but Jennifer was the one she was more interested in. Everything about Jennifer was intriguing. Probably just because she was a new face in town. But, no, that wasn't quite right. She took a sip of cider, the alcohol burning her throat. Jennifer was burned into the back of her eyes. It was a strange feeling. It unnerved her. _She_ unnerved her. The flush in her cheeks, the freckles she wore with confidence, the intrinsic sparkle in her crystal blue eyes. She was a curious woman. She had a certain knack for people that Regina just _didn't_.

Miss Alexander was an attractive woman, there was no doubt about that. It was more of an objective statement than a subjective one, to be honest. She brushed her hair behind her ear, her fingers trailing down her neck. The heat of the flames had her hot and uncomfortable. She sighed, shaking her head and taking another sip of cider.

She hated that this other Swan could occupy so many of her thoughts. She was a temporary fixture in Storybrooke, a means to an end, not an object to be studied, a woman to be bothered with. Maybe she was so concerned with Jennifer because Henry had taken such a shining to her. He was, after all, determined for her to be his aunt. Another addition to the family, that's what he wanted. She picked at the skin on her lip pensively, her brow furrowed.

Henry was sleeping peacefully at the Charmings'. Regina was sitting up, nearly two in the morning, with a glass of hard cider and a fire to fuel her tangled thoughts.

How was this going to end? What was going to happen when Miss Alexander saw this town for what it really was? She nearly dropped her cider. _Rumple_.

. . .

The next morning she made her way to Gold's shop. She barely got any sleep with all those thoughts running through her head. And she barely had the self control to wait until Belle had left so she could get him alone. The bell jingled above her as she strode through the shop, her heels clicking annoying loud on the wood floors. Gold, with a barely concealed scowl, walked out from the back. "I don't know if you noticed, but the sign on the door said _closed_." She didn't listen.

"What'll happen to Miss Alexander after you use her to fix the protection spell? She'll have been exposed to magic." She placed her hands on the glass counter to try and look powerful. He took a breath, standing up straighter than before.

"Well, I'm sure you could find a way to deal with her. If not then the Charmings'll certainly persuade her that it's _all perfectly explainable_." The imp suggested, not at all worried. She frowned.

"You think I couldn't deal with her _myself_?" Regina shot back, highly defensive.

"You don't seem to _eager_ to, Your Majesty." He clipped, acid in his words as he eyed her. "I doubt you care that she's the savior's sister. You _might_ care that Henry cares but that's not my _point_. You, Regina, are going _soft_." Gold hissed, taunting her, teasing her, antagonizing her. He wanted her to _kill_ Jennifer. Regina gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to let Rumple control her anymore. Besides, she had her reputation to worry about now. But before she could stop the idiotic alternative from spilling from her mouth it was already there.

"We'll tell her then." Even though saying the idea out loud sounded even stupider than in her head she couldn't take it back so she might as well hold her ground. And that's what she did.

"Tell her about magic?" Gold asked. He smirked at her. "Good luck keeping her _quiet_ , dearie." She glared at him.

"I'll do it delicately. Have the savior pitch in. It'll _work_." She told him darkly. Gold just sighed and shook his head.

"It's _your_ funeral."

And as she walked to the Charmings' apartment that evening she supposed it was. She kept telling herself that this was her best option, but the closer she got to the Charmings' apartment the less confident she was. She hated asking for help, _hated_ it. It made her weak. But did she really have a choice? Jennifer needed to hear this from Emma, of that much she knew. She was the only one Miss Alexander would truly believe.

She thought about Jennifer for a moment. There was no way in hell or heaven they were going to convince her that the magic she was going to see was as easily dismissable as the Charmings would no doubt make it out to be. They couldn't convince her that it was an _illusion_. Jennifer was too smart for that. This was their only option; she was sure of it. Yes. Right. Good.

She knocked on the door.

It swung open, and she came face to face with a smiling Emma. But her face fell when she saw who was at the door. It was clear she wasn't expecting Regina. Hell, _Regina_ wasn't expecting Regina. "Uh, Regina, what are you doing here?" The blonde asked curiously, glancing over Regina's shoulder.

"We need to talk."

"Can it wait until tomorrow? I'm expecting Jenny over for dinner." Regina raised her brow at that. According to Jennifer, just two days ago they were still sorting out " _thirteen years of shit_." Now they were having dinner as a family. Good for them? She supposed.

"It actually concerns her."

"Look, I know you want her out of town but like I told everybody else: she's not a threat." Emma supplied, leaning up against the doorframe with her arms folded over her chest. She was standing her ground~protective, it seemed, over her family. That made Regina angry. She wasn't going to _hurt_ them. She'd already tried to kill Mary Margaret once, and she wasn't going to do it again. Snow was suffering enough on her own. All Regina had to do was sit back and watch. She must not have told the rest of the Uncharmings that her heart was turning black.

"I'm trying to keep her _here_ actually." Emma frowned at that.

" _Okay_." She drawled hesitantly, her interest clearly piqued.

"Ever since Miss Alexander arrived in Storybrooke the protection spell around the town has been degrading. I trust you can imagine what could happen to the town if it breaks." She supplied, keeping her voice down, and Emma nodded as she hung onto Regina's words. "Gold wants to use her to try and reverse the damage."

"Okay, well then do it." Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"She'll have been exposed to _magic_ , Miss Swan." She sighed. "We need to _tell_ her. And _you_ need to convince her not to go blabbing it to the world." Emma's frown deepened.

"You really trust her to keep Storybrooke a secret?" Emma inquired. Regina's gaze remained ever so neutral.

"All I know is that this is our only option. So don't screw it up." Emma pressed her lips together, her brow furrowed, and nodded. "Talk to the Charmings tonight, and we'll figure out how to handle this tomorrow. We need to come up with a plan and quickly. The protection spell needs to be repaired before anyone else can wander in." She told Emma who nodded. But before Regina could walk away Emma stopped her.

"Why are you telling us this? I mean, you _hate_ Mary Margaret." Regina sighed. She clenched her jaw.

"I need Henry to know that I'm not evil." She looked Emma in the eye when she said that. And, god, she hoped the blonde believed her because it was true. Emma almost smiled.

"Thanks for letting me know, Regina."

. . .

On her way out of the apartment building she ran into none other than Jennifer Alexander herself.

"Miss Mills!" Jennifer exclaimed in surprise. "We just keep running into each other, don't we?" She asked with a chuckle, showing off the dimples that immediately caught Regina's gaze. She swallowed.

"Uh, yes, I suppose we do." She agreed with a tight smile. "Have a good evening, Miss Alexander."

"Yeah, you too." Jennifer muttered as they parted ways. After Jennifer passed her on the sidewalk she took a deep, calming breath and looked around. The streets were completely deserted. She'd lived in solitude for twenty-eight years so she didn't quite need any more of it. However, the last few days had proven chaotic enough for her to enjoy the silence. She sighed heavily and looked up at the stars. She hadn't done that in far too long. If she tried, she could probably still name every single constellation in that sky. The whole world, for one small moment, seemed to stand still when she looked up at those stars.

The content feeling in the pit of her stomach was fleeting though because in the distance she saw something in the sky akin to the northern lights. Colors danced and the sky shimmered with all the grace and fragility of an ocean wave. It was beautiful but also worrisome. The lights seemed to be spreading and with each inch of sky that was covered Regina became more and more concerned. She drove to Gold's shop as fast as she could.

She didn't care that it was late because Gold was probably up watching the lights too. So, her fear coming out as determination, she entered the shop and made her way to the back where she found him hunched over a large spell book. "I see you've noticed the light show." He muttered, concentrating on whatever he was doing.

"I've heard of this." She stated. He turned and raised a brow at her. "I've _seen_ it." She insisted, leaning forward.

"Have you now?" He asked, his nose back in the book.

"When my mother used to practice spells in that book and one of them failed those lights would appear." She told him, and Gold finally looked up.

"It happens because the magic is disintegrating~being recycled back into nature. I was at the town line earlier. It seems that the old magic that held the protection spell together is gone." He informed her solemnly, and Regina raised her brow.

"So, Miss Alexander _did_ cause all of this."

"I don't know how, but yes, it does seem that way." Gold commended, and Regina pursed her lips thoughtfully. He stared at her in confusion. "You must be joking." He scoffed, and she frowned.

"What?"

"You're more interesting why this is happening than how to _fix_ it." He told her. She shifted uncomfortably and blinked rapidly. He just eyed her expectantly, and then finally she glared at him.

"Miss Alexander doesn't have magic. We've had people from this realm in Storybrooke before. That _boy_. His _father_. Why did she cause the spell to weaken? Why now?" Regina questioned, defending her own curiosity. Gold eyed her.

"Why are you so interested in this woman?"

"I'm not." She defended irrationally. "I'm interested in what she's done to _cause_ this." Gold didn't say anything, but she could sense that he was doubtful. Embarrassed, she swallowed, shaking her head dismissively. "But that doesn't matter right now. What have you found out?"

When Gold explained to her how a good portion of the text in the spell book had just disappeared since the last time he opened it, Regina looked at him in disbelief. He said he believed that the outside world had been fighting its way into Storybrooke since day one and that Jennifer was simply the crack it needed to break through. This non-magical world was destroying the magic in Storybrooke. It had started with a weakening of magic when Jennifer first arrived. Now it was the book, and he didn't know what was next. And even more frightening than that, he didn't know how to stop it. Gold closed the book, and looked up at Regina.

"We need Cora."


	8. Mother

_8: Mother_

Regina's expression hardened.

"My mother is _dead_." She told him darkly. "What kind of game are you playing, Rumple?" Her mother was an open wound, and Gold was trying to enter it. She didn't know why.

"I'm not playing a game. I'm stating a _fact_." He paused, so she frowned. "I got this book from Cora." He pressed his finger into the text. "I don't know where she got it. I don't know how she did it. But she mastered it. She knew every spell in this book back to front."

"Well, how did you get it? She wouldn't just _give_ something like that to you." Her voice had a bitter twinge of jealousy to it at the thought of Rumple being closer to Cora than she was. Even though she hated her mother, part of her still wanted her love no matter how deeply she buried it. She'd spent years being being alone, self reliant, unaffected, and irrationally and unfathomably angry. Her mother made her who she was, and the fact that she was still so tethered, so dutifully devoted and desperate, scared her.

"Your mother was a complicated woman. It came into my possession through complicated circumstances." He supplied vaguely, and she glared at him.

"Well, I suppose you want to _contact_ her." She grit her teeth and sighed, glaring at the ceiling "...from beyond the grave." She drawled in annoyance, and the little imp giggled, actually _giggled_.

"That'd be nice, yes." He nodded. "We'll need the candle."

"And her _murderer_! Are you sure you want to involve Mary Margaret in this?"

"Not if you have a better idea, no." He told her. She sighed, her hands firmly on her hips, her blazer riding up and flaring out.

Rumple remembered when he found out about Cora's dirty little secret. He kept tabs on her in the Enchanted Forest. From her first born to little Regina, he was always watching. And he couldn't help but notice the spell book she kept practicing in. Based on the way the magic bent and wavered in a land of new magic, he could be sure that this was old magic—ancient magic. His suspicions were confirmed when he snuck a peek at the book and found that it was written in old elvish. And he was confused. So he did some digging.

Even when he was just a boy living with spinsters, old magic had already been abolished for years. He didn't know how long, but it was recent enough for him to still hear whispers and rumors about why it was no longer in practice. A whole new form of magic had to be invented, they said. All because of one old magic spell.

Rumpelstiltskin was a curious man and even more so when it came to Cora. He didn't know how she got the book, and he didn't know what she was doing with it, but she was practicing it and perfecting it. So he dug deeper.

Old magic hadn't been abolished because non-magic folk were scared of its power. Surprisingly enough it wasn't even the non-magic folk that abolished old elvish. He discovered that a few of the ancient sorcerers banded together to stop one thing: paradoxes. And the causes of those paradoxes were time portals—too many of them. With old magic, time travel was just as doable as any other spell. And too many people were abusing its power to change the past or visit the future.

However, the non magic folk didn't have the capacity to remember if someone had changed their past. Their heads were being scrambled without them ever knowing. The people with magic could remember, though. They knew what was happening. Time was being meddled with too frequently and in too harsh of a degree. It needed to be stopped.

The details of its abolishment were fuzzy and written reports were contradictory. The one thing everyone could agree on, however, was that after it was all over time portals were abolished, and new magic was created to stop it from ever happening again. And they had sure done one hell of a job. Time portals were nothing more that whispers in the trees, rumors, legends. No one could create one—not even Rumple (and he knew because he's tried). In fact, even though new and old magic weren't compatible, many sorcerers went so far as to destroy all evidence of old magic, including the spellbooks and memories, so that time portals weren't even a possibility anymore. A memory wipe so powerful that even past Dark Ones couldn't help him.

But that just had Rumple even more intrigued. Where had Cora gotten a spell book that was this rare and delicate, and what in the hell was she going to do with it? But before he could capture the book for himself she'd already mastered it. And when he finally did try to steal it she'd sealed it in the room with blood magic. She was keeping the book from _him_.

. . .

Before Regina could even think about saying yes to such a ludicrous idea, there was a gust of wind that knocked the air from her lungs and a surge of magic so powerful that she could feel it resonate throughout her entire body. The two of them turned in the general direction of the disturbance, thoroughly horrified. She could smell the thick, sweet musk of magic coming from the back of the shop. It was strange magic, though, something she wasn't used to. Something bordering on nostalgic.

Footsteps clicked on the wood floors. Regina held her breath, listening, waiting, hands up and ready. Fire burned in the palm of her hand. Her heart echoed in her chest, her fingers twitching.

Then, out through the back, of all people, her mother stepped through the door.

Regina stood frozen for a long moment, the fire fizzling from her palms, as Cora glanced around curiously. Standing there, in the flesh, blood and bones, was her _mother_. Her hands dropped as Cora hummed. She was in a dress, long and puffy, Enchanted Forest style. And, my God, she was so very _young_. Judging by her appearance alone, her other self in the Enchanted Forest must still be a little girl. Maybe five or six. Cora wouldn't recognize her.

"So this is Storybrooke." Cora furrowed her brow and walked up to the glass counter, elegant and swift. "How... _interesting_." Her gaze turned to Gold, and her eyes widened. "Rumple?" She questioned hesitantly. "You look so _different_." Then she smiled. "Did you do something with your hair?"

The diatribe pulled a weak and bitter smile from Rumple. When Cora turned her attention to Regina, she felt the need to hold her breath, a dizzying wave of panic tightening in her chest. She wouldn't be recognized. She _couldn't_ be. There was no way her mother could recognize Regina's current self from her five year old self. Nevertheless, Cora seemed hesitant and thoughtful when her gaze fell upon Regina. She _studied_ her. "And who are you?"

For once in her life, Regina had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. Her mouth even fell open as she searched for anything vaguely intelligent to say. All that was going through her mind over and over and over was that she was _older than her mother._

As Regina stood there gaping, Cora turned to Rumple questioningly, impatiently. "She's my…assistant… _Mara_. There's no need to worry about her." Rumple said, finally stepping in for her. That snapped Regina out of her thoughts. _Mara_? Cora pursed her lips, annoyed.

"Fine. Now where's my book?" Cora sighed. "I'd like to get this over with if you don't mind."

"Not so fast." Gold stepped in before Regina could ask what the hell Cora was talking about. "The wand first. That's the only way you could have gotten here." Cora eyed him but reluctantly pulled the white wand from a pocket in her dress. She held it out to him, dangling it between her finger and thumb with delicate precision. He almost took it before she snatched it away.

"I was promised my spell book when this is over." She warned, her voice disturbingly dark. He looked surprised but his features quickly hardened. All Regina could do was watch on helplessly as he muttered some acerbic words under his breath. It was understandable that he didn't want to part with the book, of course. Finally, after much deliberation, he relented.

"You can have the book if you do what you came here to do. Nothing more, nothing less." He eyed her confident looks and regal posture. "Do we have a deal?" She looked him over in his suit and tie~examining him~before handing him the wand in response.

"Can't have me running back to the Enchanted Forest before the deed is done, hmm?" She drawled. This was a Cora that Regina barely remembered. She was still the same meddling, evil woman but this version of her seemed more sensual and obedient. And Regina wondered if the history between those two ran deeper than she'd thought.

She eyed the wand now dangling from Gold's hand. She'd heard of it before—in fact, she'd seen it in Rumple's possession back in the Enchanted Forest many years ago. How had Cora gotten it? It could supposedly replicate any spell ever cast. Cora must have replicated a time portal. But who had told her to come? Who had told her about Storybrooke?

"Where. Is. The _book_?" Cora repeated in a more demanding and harsh tone. Subconsciously, Regina recoiled. That tone was one Regina most associated with discipline and pain and dark magic. Gold motioned to the back of the shop, and Cora led the way even if she had no idea where she was going.

"Are you coming?" Gold asked, turning back to see her standing frozen in the middle of the shop. Regina blinked and stared at him. Slowly, ever so slowly, she nodded, and then her feet began to move.

. . .

Jennifer sat in Granny's that night tracing the top of her water glass with a lazy finger, her cheek resting heavily in the palm of her hand. She was thinking about how awkward dinner had been at Emma's apartment with Henry and Emma's new family, the one she'd left Jennifer for. Maybe it was selfish but that's how she felt. Emma had just invited her over to try and win her forgiveness without actually apologizing, anyway. It was bull shit. But in between her anger toward Emma, she was also thinking about Regina. Or, more specifically, about them getting ice cream with Henry.

They'd walked in silence while Henry rambled to them about school, Jennifer remembered. She noticed his stories were mostly directed toward her though. It seemed like, to Henry, Regina was a second thought, a lesser, an insignificant. More than that, he seemed weary of her. He distanced himself both physically and in the things he said, the way he said it, how he smiled at Jennifer while Regina's gaze turned to her shoes. She could understand a pre-teen boy not liking his mother, but the fact that he seemed to have lost _faith_ in her was concerning to Jennifer. It was more than typical adolescent drama. It was something Regina had _done_. Or something Henry thought she'd done.

Jennifer did have to admit, Regina seemed like a colder sort of woman. She was cryptic. Not easy to read. But after their time at Granny's, after she'd gotten a chance to observe Regina interact (however briefly) with Henry, she was able to start piecing together their story.

She noticed it most when they sat down. Jennifer and Regina slid across from each other in a booth. Henry quickly got a scoop of chocolate and paid with Regina's money to Jennifer's displeasure ( _She_ was the one who promised Henry ice cream. She wanted to pay, but Regina was rather final about the matter). When he strode back to their table, Regina's eyes lit up ever so slightly. She raised her shoulders and inhaled slightly, a ghost of a smile flickering on her lips. When Henry slid in next to Jennifer, however, she deflated like a balloon.

After that everything happened so quickly. The disappointed and saddened mother Jennifer had glimpsed was gone in an instant, replaced only by a blank façade. A defense mechanism. Regina was very silent for a while after that. But sometimes Jennifer would catch a flash of longing or melancholy or a sense of helplessness in those deep, brown eyes.

So Jennifer talked to her. She tried to include her in Henry's conversations. Regina must have noticed her gentle prodding, there was no way she couldn't have. But she never called Jennifer out on it. All she wanted was to be close to her son. All Jennifer was doing was trying to help.

It wasn't until the end of their ice cream soiree that Jennifer felt she was making any progress, though. Jennifer quipped something at Henry about his love for chocolate (she was a vanilla person) when he turned straight to Regina, all teasing and giddy. "Come on, mom, tell Jenny. Isn't chocolate the best? Who likes _vanilla_ anymore? That's so _boring_."

She looked dumbstruck for a moment. Her mouth opened; her eyes widened. _Was he asking me?_ "I'm...more of a pistachio person."

"Oh yeah, duh!" Henry exclaimed. "I forgot. You always get pistachio." He turned to Jennifer. "Doesn't matter. Chocolate's still the best."

It was that one comment. _Always_. That one declaration of forever that had Regina smiling like a fool. Jennifer smiled along with her, nearly laughed like a kid at her expression. When Regina caught her gaze, Jennifer bit her lip~an infectious smile lighting her face and wrinkling her nose~and gave Regina a subtle thumbs up. And Jennifer would have sworn on the grave of Hippocrates right then and there that Regina Mills had _blushed_.


	9. Three Days

_9: Three Days_

She eyed the stitches on her forehead critically, prodding them with a gentle finger. It's hard to believe that this was already her sixth day in this town. It felt like just yesterday she'd been crashing into Storybrooke on the back of a storm.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked, pulling himself onto a barstool next to her. Was school already over? My god, you could really lose track of time in this town.

"Looking at my stitches. I have to get them taken out today." She told him, angling the pocket mirror in her hand so she could see better. He was silent for a minute, watching her examine her forehead.

"Can I come with?"

"To the hospital?"

"Yeah!" She frowned at his bubbly tone.

"Don't you have homework?"

"Yeah, but my mom kicked me out. She has to talk to Mary Margaret and David about something I guess." Jennifer hummed. Sure, she was suspicious, but the excuse seemed too strange not to be true.

"Alright, if you've got nothing else to do." She relented. He lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Cool!" Henry piped. "Do you have an appointment with Dr. Whale?" She shook her head, and he furrowed his brow, confusion contorting his eleven year old face.

"Nah, I was just gonna do it myself." She told him in the best deadpan she could muster. His eyes widened. "Henry, I'm a doctor." She chuckled reassuringly.

"Woah, really?" He asked, completely mesmerized. "Like Dr. Whale?"

"Yeah, kinda like Dr. Whale. I'm a surgeon." A small smile broke out on his face that quickly grew larger and larger.

"That's so cool! Can we go to the hospital _now_?" He asked, and she said yes. Henry jumped down from the bar stool, and Jennifer just chuckled.

So, that's how they ended up walking down the streets of Storybrooke on a windy afternoon under a warm sun. Henry kept chatting and asking her questions that she was more than willing to answer about what it was like to be a doctor and if she liked living in New York.

"Have you ever been to New York?" She asked, and he shook his head. "Maybe your moms'll let me take you some time."

"You'd let me stay with you? I mean, I just met you!" He exclaimed. What could she say, the kid was growing on her. As they walked they passed shoe stores and repair shops and barber shops, but Henry only stopped when they came up to the window with the chocolate bars. "Can we get some candy?"

"No."

"What?"

"You'll be bouncing off the walls!" Jennifer told him. She did not need a rambunctious eleven year old in a hospital with her.

"But I'm _hungry_." He protested. She just eyed him. Seeing how that wasn't working, he tried a different approach. "Ma lets me have candy." She glanced at him doubtfully.

"I'm guessing that one's Emma." She sighed and looked him over. "Alright, enough with the puppy dog eyes." She relented before shoving a five dollar bill in his hands. "Be back out here in five minutes, kid." She ordered, but Henry was halfway into the store at that point.

She was probably going to regret this. Henry seemed like the kind of kid who didn't have candy often. Especially considering who his adoptive mother was. And speak of the devil. Down the street he spotted Regina exiting a shop with a man and another woman. The man had on a crisp, pressed suit with brown, stringy hair down to his shoulders. He looked cold and sharp, and he leaned on a gold tipped cane as he walked. The woman, on the other hand, was in a pantsuit like Regina. She had long brown hair and bright red lipstick and a look of permanent blank curiosity. They had sharp eyes and intimidating glares and looked like they meant business.

"Miss Alexander." Regina addressed as the three of them approached, partly in surprise and partly in dread. The melodic lilt of her name sent a shiver down Jennifer's spine, and she hated herself for it. The man stepped forward.

"So this is the infamous Jennifer Alexander." He stated curiously, drinking up her appearance. She probably looked like shit compared to him. Her hair was particularly poufy today, and with a pair of faded jeans and an orange sweater she was severely underdressed. He held out his hand to shake and, hesitantly, she took it. His smile slithered across his face as his eyes filled with thoughts that she couldn't read but recognized as unpleasant. A cold sort of dread filled her chest. "Gold." He introduced before turning to the other woman. "And this is Cora." She actually resembled Regina a little bit.

"It's nice to meet you both." She nodded before Regina cut in, stepping forwards in front of her almost anxiously, urgently.

"What are you doing here?"

Regina's proximity had her stuttering and the smell of her perfume was all consuming. "I, um, well, Henry's getting some candy. Then I was gonna take him to the hospital."

" _Hospital_?" Regina jumped, her gaze hardening. Jennifer shook her head and swallowed as she realized her mistake.

"He wanted to watch me take my stitches out. I mean, if that's not okay he'll be out in a minute you can take him home." She told Regina to try and ease her concern. Jennifer watched as the cogs turned in Regina's head.

"No. You let him watch. He~he likes that type of thing. Just make sure you get him back to Miss Swan's apartment safely." Jennifer nodded quickly. Regina eyed her once before ushering Mr. Gold and Cora along. Jennifer frowned at the hastiness of their retreat. What were they running from (or _to_ )?

"Alright, I'll, uh, see you later then, I guess."

As the three of them walked away Gold eyed Regina. "Are you hiding Cora?" Cora turned her head at the mention of her name. Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head dismissively. "You better hope that nobody finds out." He told her condemningly.

"They won't." She shot back before taking a deep breath to calm the adrenaline coursing through her veins. "Snow will ruin everything with her blubbering and asking for forgiveness for something that hasn't even happened yet. Besides, I do not need the whole town against me again." She told him, and Cora listened intently.

"What exactly hasn't happened yet?" She questioned and two sets of eyes turned to her.

"Nothing you need to be worried about, mo—Cora." Regina breathed, turning away to hide the blush that was creeping up her neck. Gold glared at her sternly. And Cora was just staring at her with hints of familiarity flickering in her eyes as they scanned Regina.

"I feel like I know you." She supplied with a drawl of longing to her voice. Regina's heart sped up in her chest, and she felt like ice was being poured down her back.

"No, you definitely don't know me." She answered as calmly as she could. But Cora just narrowed her eyes. Her reaction was strange and doubtful.

"Then why are you here? Rumple can handle me just fine on his own."

"As annoying as she is, she's also helpful." Rumple sighed, and she turned and shot daggers at him. _Annoying_?

"Ah, she has magic, then." Cora breathed, looking at Regina with something between curiosity and recognition.

"I do." Regina assured her mother. This was so very, very strange to interact with her like this. Of course she had magic! Part of her wanted to scream at her mother and tell her not to make the same mistakes with her younger self this time around, but she couldn't. She couldn't change her own past. And she couldn't let Cora know she was her daughter. So she kept her silence.

But as they approached the town line Regina's head was still spinning with unanswerable questions. It had been spinning ever since Cora came to Storybrooke. How did she know to come? Who told her to come? Who could have _convinced_ her?

Cora stopped at the town line and examined the protection spell. "Let me see the book." She commanded. Gold handed it to her without a word. She was the expert here. She was their leader.

. . .

Meanwhile, Emma had sat Mary Margaret and David down to tell them what Regina had told her the night before about the protection spell disintegrating and how they were going to have to tell Jennifer about magic.

"Do you really believe that Regina's telling the truth?" Mary Margaret asked, leaning forwards on her elbows. Her brow was furrowed. Emma sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"She seemed pretty sincere. I mean she said she wanted Henry to know that she can be good. That's why she's doing it."

"But to do that she has to put a _lot_ of faith in Jennifer. Do you really think that's possible for her?" David countered. "Regina doesn't trust people. It's why she is who she is." Unfortunately, David was right. No matter Regina's motives, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks~especially so quickly.

"David's right. How do we know Regina isn't just saying this so we won't suspect her if Jennifer does _disappear_?" Mary Margaret pointed out.

"Okay, granted, Regina hasn't really kept her promises about being good lately. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't keep giving her chances. I was there. I know what it's like. I mean, you guys are Snow White and Prince Charming for goodness' sake!"

The two of them looked at each other, a silent conversation taking place between them.

"Think of it this way. Even if Regina is still as evil as you guys say then we'll be there to stop her if she tries anything. But I honestly don't think that she wants Jenny dead. She knows it'll just push Henry farther away. I think she learned that one the hard way from Cora when she was here." Emma stated. Mary Margaret averted her eyes at the mention of Regina's mother. When no one said anything more, Emma nodded to herself. The decision was made. "We can tell Henry tonight. And I'll tell Jenny tomorrow."

. . .

Cora was excited about this. Not just because she was in the future but because she was going to finally get her spell book back after all this was over. How she'd originally acquired it and how she'd lost it were very complicated circumstances. Well, that's what she told Rumple to stop him from nosing around in her business. The reality was that she'd stolen it from a very old but very powerful sorcerer called the Apprentice. Then he'd stolen it back. How Rumple got it, on the other hand, was a mystery all its own.

The more she read about the protection spell Rumple had used the more she understood what was happening and how to fix it as she translated old elvish into new elvish into English in her mind. However, then she got to the page with the missing words and turned to Rumple. "The spell is disintegrating."

"We know," Rumple told her in annoyance. She sighed, placed her hands on her hips, and turned to the spell—looking it over.

"You did a horrible job on it." She commented like he was so very dumb and could see him glaring at her from the corner of her eyes. "It's so weak because you mixed new and old magic. It should have been one or the other."

"Well, it's a little late for that now, isn't it?" Regina told her mother harshly. As the one to cast the spell in the first place she felt rather personally attacked by Cora's words. In response, Cora just glared at her, a fire in her eyes. Really she shouldn't be so irritated. This was probably going to be the last time she ever saw her mother. Even if Cora didn't know who she was, she wanted to make the most of this. So she sighed and rubbed her forehead with her hands. "I'm sorry." She breathed and slowly Cora turned away from her.

"In case you haven't noticed I don't practice old magic." Gold informed Cora. "Mara was the one who cast it, but she doesn't know enough old magic to cast an entire _curse_ from it." He pointed out. "The only reason I needed it was because it's stronger than new magic. It needed to withstand the curse breaking."

"Regardless, you _mixed magic_. You both must have known that this was _inevitable_." Nobody answered, not that Cora needed them to. Gold did know that it was inevitable, and Regina had had her suspicions. Cora sighed, glancing at the dancing, shimmering spell just a few feet away. She waved her hand over it and frowned when the magic sparked and fizzled. "It's going fast." She mumbled. "The outside world is invading, and it's taking magic with it."

"We know. You're here to fix it."

"I can't bring back what's already gone." She mused, looking at the town line and then up into the sky like it was telling her something no one else could hear. "I'll have to cast a new protection spell." She muttered, deep in thought. "When did all of this start?" She asked suddenly, eyeing up the spell to see how far it had receded. The brunette didn't look worried. Then again, she had nothing to worry about. This wasn't her town. She didn't care what happened to it. But this had become Regina's home. She needed to _protect_ it.

"Not even a week ago. When Miss Alexander came to town." Regina pointed out. Cora raised her brow and chuckled in disbelief.

"Really?" She drawled in amusement. "Oh, well, of _course_ she did. I suppose that makes perfect sense." She muttered like this was some ironic serendipity. Gold and Regina glanced at each other in confusion. Cora just shook her head and dismissed them with a wave of her hand. "Oh it's nothing." They didn't quite believe her, but they didn't question her either.

Then, pensively, Cora stood for a moment in front of the town line in the pantsuit Gold had poofed on her~one that was unmistakably Regina's. She didn't quite look confused but rather determined. This was a puzzle she was going to solve come hell or high water. Regina recognized this expression on her mother and watched it curiously.

"I need Jennifer's blood." Cora finally spoke, turning to the two Storybrooke residents firmly.

"That's simple enough." Gold piped.

"Well, not quite." Cora amended. "Jennifer caused this because she doesn't believe in it. The only way for me to truly repair the protection spell is for her to believe."

"You've got to be kidding me." Regina drawled in disbelief.

"We have three days before your precious town collapses in on itself." Cora stated flatly. Regina's eyes widened, and she scoffed.

"It took the savior an entire _year_ to believe in the curse—let alone _magic_. In fact, she still hasn't accepted that she _has_ magic. How the hell is this _Other_ Swan supposed to believe in three days?" Regina pointed out, glancing at Gold helplessly. Cora raised her brow, almost as if in disbelief, but didn't comment. There was something Regina and Gold were missing, Regina could tell. Something Cora wasn't telling them. She just wished she knew what it was.

"Well you'll have to figure something out otherwise this town will lose its magic as well as its protection from the rest of this realm."


	10. Don't you see it?

_10: Don't you see it?_

Jennifer dropped Henry back at Emma's late that afternoon. He'd had a great time, kept boasting to Emma about how Jennifer had let him pull out one of the stitches. Of course she had shown him the proper technique and was monitoring him the entire time, but he was still ecstatic. Emma gaped at her for a moment, quite at a loss for words, before nodding. Henry just grinned.

"That's... _great_ , Henry." She stumbled ridiculously.

Then he~to Jennifer's surprise~launched himself at her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tight, his eyes squeezed shut. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you today." He said into her shirt. Jennifer didn't know how to respond to that. Her arms were out wide, her mouth gaping open, eyes wide as she looked at Emma helplessly. Then, as quickly as it began, Henry was off of her and had disappeared into the house. Emma sputtered out a chuckle at Jennifer's stupefied expression. Jennifer mouthed a confused _what?_ to Emma who just shrugged. When they were in the entryway alone, Emma turned to her with a small smile.

"Thanks for letting Henry tag along, Jenny. It really meant a lot to him. He sees you as an aunt." Her smile was warm and motherly. It made Jennifer uncomfortable. This wasn't _Emma_. And it was so awkward being here when the two of them were~fighting sounded so juvenile but~ _fighting_. Sure, they'd been making friendly conversation, but the dinner Emma invited her to the other night had been a nightmare. The blonde must have known it too because Jennifer wasn't invited again.

It was probably the fact that she ended up talking to everyone but Emma for the majority of that night because they had nothing to talk about without bursting into accusations and yelling which, they had silently agreed, didn't need to become a public spectacle. And when questions turned to them and how they met and when Henry asked why they lost contact the room was awkwardly silent. It was a stretch to say they were feuding, but the only reason they were still so cordial was because it was easier that way to avoid the elephant in the room.

They wanted to make it work. Really, truly she could tell that both of them wanted to bandage old wounds. But they were both stubborn as hell and as immovable as a mountain. When either of them wanted something by god they dug in their heels and got it.

So Jennifer would like to avoid talking to Emma for the moment; at least until they could talk on level ground. But her curiosity was insatiable, and she couldn't bear not knowing anymore. So she set aside their differences for one small moment.

"Emma, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah."

"What happened with Henry and Regina?" Emma's face fell, but Jennifer barely noticed. "Why is he living with you and not her? I mean, yes you're his mother too, but, Emma, I went to get ice cream with her and Henry the other day and…" She shook her head. "She was just so heartbroken to see him sitting with me and not her. When crap as trivial as where you sit determines your love for someone, it's _serious_ , Emma."

"It's complicated."

"Well, then, _explain_ it to me." Emma sighed.

"Look, Regina's not...the warmest mother. She hurt him. Not physically. But she... _distanced_ herself. She didn't understand that she was being cruel."

"Does she now?" Jennifer asked, genuinely invested. Emma's explanation broke her heart. She felt for Henry, but she also felt for Regina. For a woman who had to fight for something as basic as her son's affections, she couldn't imagine then having him taken away by the woman who had no legal right to him. Granted, both Emma and Regina were at fault for Henry's beliefs about his adoptive mother, but she didn't blame either of them. All Regina wanted was love though it seemed like she had gone about it in the wrong way. And Emma was 28 when she met Henry. She was a new mother with a ten year old son. All she knew was that she cared for him and wanted to protect him.

"I don't know." Emma admitted. "But we're trying to give her chances to prove it."

"It doesn't seem like you are."

"Well, you don't _know_ Regina like I do, okay? Six days isn't enough time to know a person. She did a _lot_ of bad things before you came. Besides, it's not like I'm _stopping_ Henry from seeing her. He left on his own free will."

"That's my _point_! Any mother~even someone as bad as you say Regina is~would understand by that point that they screwed up _somewhere_. She's _gotta_ be trying to fix it. I can't imagine _any_ mother just letting their child go like that. Whatever chances you're giving her they're not big enough."

"How would _you_ know? You've known her for six days, _Jennifer_. I've known her for two years. Mary Margaret's known her all her life. This isn't new behavior from her. She's a hard woman to trust." Jennifer sighed, glancing up at the ceiling. She could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating. In fact, she was nearly ready to rip Emma's throat out, and she could see that Emma felt the same.

"I just...you didn't see her in the diner. She looked about ready to cry and I...I just hate that Henry hates her so much. I look at her, and I see you or me wanting foster parents to love us when they _don't_. Maybe I don't have the whole story, but that is a face of a woman who wants to be better for her _son_."

Emma's contorted expression softened at that. Of all things, she could understand wanting to be loved.

"All I'm asking is that you give her a _better_ chance. She's a leper in this town when she shouldn't be I'm _telling_ you."

. . .

Jennifer was walking down the sidewalk that night just trying to pass the time, just wandering. She had her hands stuffed deep into her pockets to block out the chill in the air. It was wet out, and the air was crisp and smelled of thick, heavy dirt. Heels clicked up ahead of her, and she looked up to see Regina walking towards her. A black trench coat was tied tightly around her waist; her hair blew in the breeze, and her nose was red. "We meet again." Jennifer called down the empty sidewalk, a smile lightening her pensive features.

"Seems we do. What a... _coincidence_." Regina finally decided on as she eyed Jennifer. The red pea coat and big, curly hair looked good on her.

"Yeah, this has gotta be the third time this has happened, right?" Jennifer chuckled. "Maybe it's a _sign_."

Regina was a good sport and chuckled halfheartedly along with her. "Maybe." She shrugged as they stopped in front of each other. "You know, Miss Alexander, I've been meaning to thank you." Regina was quite sincere, though the words nearly stuck to the back of her throat. She hated admitting weakness, and not being able to go it alone was certainly a weakness to Regina. The difference here was that she actually wanted Jennifer to know how much her thoughtfulness meant to her more than she cared about her dignity. The last time she felt remotely humble must have been when she was a girl, before the Queen. And now Jennifer was bringing it out of her again...Regina shook her head dismissively, rather embarrassed at the display of emotion. "For what you did at Granny's with Henry. I don't...talk with him like that very often anymore."

"Not a problem. Henry's a great kid, you know. You raised him well."

"Thank you." They stood in silence for a moment before Jennifer glanced down at her shoes. Regina traced her movements, watching curiously as Jennifer's gaze returned to Regina's.

"I stopped by the garage this morning. Apparently my car's almost fixed."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it." Regina dispensed pleasantly.

"Yeah, I was thinking that before I go we could grab a drink, talk."

"About?" Regina asked, genuinely curious. The question threw Jennifer off guard for a moment, and her mind went blank. _Did Regina think this was a business transaction or something?_ Shit. _She hates me_. A blush shot to her cheeks. Why would someone like Regina want to spend time with her if she didn't have to, anyway? Stupid. Not knowing what else to do, she gave Regina an awkward half shrug.

"Nothing...in particular. You're Henry's mom. I'm kind of his family." She winced. That was one hell of a turn off. "Sort of. We could get to know each other. I mean I'm sure this isn't the last we'll be seeing of each other now that I know where Emma lives. Besides, Henry's kinda grown on me. But if you're busy or something...I mean…" She trailed off. She was sure that her face was as red as a tomato and as hot as the surface of the sun.

Regina just stared at her for a long moment. Jennifer's stomach did a violent flip. She swallowed, her throat warm and thick. Then~to Jennifer's shock~she nodded. "If you'd like."

"Really? Oh. Um, okay. I'll see you...later, then." Jennifer supplied, half a smile on her stupid face.

"Goodnight, Miss Alexander."

When Jennifer had gone, Regina nearly throttled herself. _If you'd like?_ All Regina had wanted for six days was for Jennifer to leave town, and now she was inviting her to stay for a drink? It confused her all the way to Emma's apartment. It confused her as she walked up the stairs, and it baffled her as she knocked on Emma's door.

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed as she answered it. "I'm glad you're here. We've decided to just tell her tomorrow. Well, _I'm_ going to tell her."

"Good. The sooner the better." And in the meantime she'd be damn well sure to keep Cora a secret from everyone. It'd be too messy, and it'd set Regina back months in her effort to win Henry. So she skipped over the perfect opportunity to tell Emma and continued on. "We only have three days until the protection spell disintegrates. And she needs to believe in magic for all this to… _work_. I suggest you fill Henry in as well. He's going to find out eventually."

"Wait, three days?" Emma hissed. "How is she supposed to believe in three days?" Regina glared at Emma as if to say _I don't fucking know_.

"You're the Savior, Miss Swan. Do something... _savior-y_."

. . .

She nearly slapped herself silly walking back to her hotel room that night. Making a fool out of herself like that. God fucking _fuck_. She kicked a rock down the sidewalk with unnecessary force, a hand tangled in her curly locks. How stupid could she be? How distracted must she have been by everything in this stupid town not to have realized?

Regina was as transparent as a window when it came to Henry. But everything else was locked and guarded. She should have known. She shouldn't have assumed. No, of course Regina didn't realize Jennifer was nearly asking her out because she doesn't fucking like women.

"Liking someone doesn't mean they feel the same way, _Jennifer_." She scolded through her teeth.

And she did like Regina. She was alluring and powerful and mysterious and beautiful. Absolutely, thoroughly gorgeous whether she realized it or not. She had a sort of pull to her, a gravity. And Jennifer cared about her if her argument with Emma was anything to go by. It figures that she would do something like this. She's always been prone to getting her heart broken.

. . .

Jennifer knew something was wrong the second she walked into Granny's the next afternoon. Emma had called that morning and asked her to meet her for lunch. It didn't sound good on the phone, and now it didn't look good in person either. Emma was sitting in a booth with two tall glasses of lemonade in front of her.

Jennifer slid in across from her and slowly pulled the lemonade toward her. She eyed Emma suspiciously and had a horrible feeling that this was about their feud. "Bribes don't work on me you know."

"This isn't a _bribe_." Emma drawled as Jennifer drank her lemonade and raised her brow.

"What's going on then?"

"I just needed to tell you something. It's about the town."

"If you're gonna tell me that they all have boundary issues then I already know. You should have seen the way they stared at me the first day."

"No, I know about that, _trust me_ , but that's not what this is about. It's, well..." Emma took a breath and wiped the condensation from her glass. When her gaze met Jennifer's again her eyes were full of secrets. "Storybrooke isn't like anywhere else. Do you remember when we were little, and you used to read me fairy tales?" Jennifer nodded. "Well, it's like that."

"Like all happy and gooey and crap? Because I don't believe that." Emma shook her head, and Jennifer frowned at the blonde's serious expression. "Well then what?" Jennifer asked, her voice rising in concern as she leaned forward.

"This is going to sound really strange."

"I can deal with strange. Lay it on me."

"Fairy tales are real." And Emma winced, waiting for the backlash that was sure to come. Jennifer looked stunned when Emma finally glanced at her. Then she blinked and almost chuckled.

"Like the ones when we were little?" Jennifer joked, reminiscing on Rapunzel and Cinderella. Emma nodded but then winced.

"Well, _sort_ of."

"Okay, wait are you being serious right now?" Jennifer asked as if waiting to be shown where the hidden cameras were.

"Look, I know you don't believe me but it's true." She declared. There was a moment in the silence when Jennifer almost laughed. Then she shook her head and looked up at Emma.

"Magic and princesses and dragons? Is this a joke? You think I'm that _gullible_? Fuck you, Emma."

"I'm telling the truth! I've _seen_ it!" Emma quickly pulled a large brown book from the seat next to her. "Jenny, listen to me." She instructed. "There's this book. It's a book of fairy tales." She turned it so Jennifer could see the cover. _Once Upon a Time_ , it said in faded gold lettering. "Except all of them are true."

There was a moment of silence. Jennifer looked from the book to Emma then back again with a doubtful and critical eye. She sat coldly, opposite Emma's frantic eyes. Hesitantly, she hooked her fingers around the cover and slid it towards her. Just paging through the book she could tell that these were no ordinary fairy tales. "It's not very Disney is it?" Jennifer mumbled as she flipped another page.

"Because Disney isn't real." Jennifer glanced up at Emma over her lashes.

"So you're saying that only these fairy tales are real. Nothing else?" Emma nodded, and Jennifer hummed. After a few more questions she had pieced together the rest. Everyone in Storybrooke was a fairy tale character and had been cursed to this town by the Evil Queen from Snow White. "So, you're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming then?" Jennifer asked skeptically, and Emma nodded again.

"Mary Margaret and David." She clarified and eyed Jennifer to make sure she wasn't losing her. In reality, Emma had lost Jennifer a long time ago~she just didn't know how to react. She didn't know how to _process_ this.

"This is insane." Jennifer stated ever so calmly. "You need to see a doctor."

"I'm not _crazy_." Emma hissed lowly, her eyes dark.

"I never said you were just... _Emma_...how do you expect me to believe in any of this? I'm a doctor. I believe in science not _magic_."

"I was skeptical too, but it's _true_. Look, do you wanna know why we don't trust Regina with Henry anymore? It's because she's the _Evil Queen_."

" _Emma_."

"Don't _Emma_ me!" She exclaimed animatedly before exhaling forcefully from her nose to try and calm herself down. It was insulting that Jennifer thought she needed to see a psychiatrist. Her own damn sister. "I think you should talk to Regina."

" _Regina_? Is she going to explain to me why you're the same age as your parents? Or better yet is she going to teach me how to cast spells and poison apples?" Jennifer taunted rather harshly.

"Ask _anyone_ in this town, Jennifer! This isn't some... _prank_!" Emma practically spat, her blood boiling. The lights in Granny's just barely flickered. Emma felt her heart racing in her chest. Her voice got dangerously low. "I wouldn't lie to you, not about something like this."

Jennifer slid the book back to her and stood up, ready to leave. "I don't think you're lying to me, Emma."

"No, you just think I'm _crazy_." She called as the door to Granny's slid closed behind Jennifer.


	11. Day One

_11: Day One_

Emma sat brooding in Granny's for a long time after Jennifer left. She took breath after breath and tried not to throw the napkin holder across the room because the situation felt proportionally more urgent with each minute that drifted by. Three days was nothing, it was irrelevant, and no amount of intelligent conversation, Emma was starting to realize, was going to make a dent in Jennifer's disbelief. It hadn't for her, after all. It took a cataclysmic event for Emma to believe, and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to produce one for Jennifer in time.

That is if she would even be open to the possibility. Jenny made her so fucking mad sometimes. She supposed that's what sisters do, but if only she could get it through her thick skull that there are things out there besides science and that doesn't make them _invalid_...

She stopped short. The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine. Was this how Henry had felt when Regina made him think that he was crazy, when Henry caught her confessing to Regina that she thought him crazy too? It was awful. She was frustrated and alone and irrationally angry as hell. Should she have been more patient with Jenny? _Could_ she have been? Well, it had taken Emma a year to believe, and she expected Jenny to believe in one fucking afternoon.

. . .

Jennifer had lashed out at Emma in fear and worry and bewildered shock and stubborn disbelief. But now she was numb. She didn't understand how Emma could believe something as silly and childish as magic. She didn't understand, but as a doctor and a loved one she wanted to so badly.

She walked for what felt like hours replaying the conversation over and over again in her head. It wasn't until she came to a noiseless park with a pond and benches and walking trails that the buzzing in her head subsided, and she began to think clearly again.

First and foremost, she was a doctor. She believed in the physical and the tangible and the testable. Magic was a bedtime story. _It was fake_. As a woman of science there were just some things that Jennifer couldn't believe in. Fate and miracles, for example~two big tropes in fairytales. Other people and coincidences create lives, and unsung heroes make miracles, not the "universe" or magic or anything else.

But Emma seemed to believe it and believe it wholeheartedly. Thirteen years ago she was just a kid with hopes and dreams. She was lonely and broken but she was _Emma_. And that was good enough for Jennifer, for a little girl who just needed _someone_. Emma was quirky and uniquely witty. She didn't like bullies, and, however misguided sometimes, she had a good head on her shoulders. So what had happened in thirteen years to change the rational Emma she knew into one who believes in, of all things, magic?

She flopped down on a nearby park bench and rubbed her forehead tiredly. She supposed she saw some of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in Mary Margaret and David, but they certainly weren't _fairytale_ characters. And _Regina_. Sure, she was a very... _defensive_...person, but she couldn't imagine her as the _Evil Queen_. Regina. Emma told her to talk with her. Emma told her that anyone in this god forsaken town would tell her the same thing she had.

. . .

"Why won't you tell me her real name?" Cora asked as Gold poured her a cup of tea. He glanced up at her, feigning curiosity. "Your assistant." Cora clarified.

"Why won't you tell me who told you to come here?" Gold retorted, deflecting rather than asking how she knew that wasn't Regina's actual name.

"I think you already know the answer to that, Rumple. It's your future. Foreknowledge is dangerous."

"Then _you_ know why I can't tell you her name." He responded. She glared at him, frustration flaring in her eyes, but didn't say anything. She supposed she deserved it. But this entire town was a complete mystery to Cora. She was allowed to be curious. Why weren't they all in the Enchanted Forest? What was this place? And where were she and her daughter Regina in all of this?

That was when Mara walked in. She looked indignant as she flipped her hair behind her ear. "Has Miss Swan told her yet?" Gold asked, not even a hint of urgency to his voice, only vague curiosity. Cora leaned up against a counter and watched Mara carefully.

"I believe so. I haven't talked to the sheriff since last night, but she was supposed to tell her this afternoon." She stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Considering I haven't _heard_ anything, I'm guessing it didn't go well."

"Perhaps you should talk to her." Gold suggested. Cora looked at him, her eyes widening slightly. This Mara was far more than a simple assistant; that was for sure if he was entrusting her with an important task like this.

" _Me_? What do I, of all people, have to do with Jennifer Alexander?" Gold sighed at her scoffing tone. Regina laughed through the silence, looking from Cora to Gold with a confused shake of her head.

"Must you be so dense... _Mara_?" Rumple drawled, clearly in the know about something that she wasn't. Regina's brow quirked downward.

" _Excuse_ me?"

But he refused to say another word on the subject, instead sighing as though he was actually frustrated by her ignorance. Or perhaps blindness.

. . .

It was drizzling. There were specks of rain in Jennifer's hair and on her jacket and stuck on her eyelashes. She smoothed down her frizzy hair and ran her fingers through the wet curls. With her legs crossed and her face to the sky she felt alone. She felt confused.

 _I think you should talk to Regina._ That's what Emma said. Maybe that's not such a bad idea. Maybe she could take that drink she was promised early.

Jennifer knocked on Regina's office door that evening just before dinner. It was a hesitant sort of knock, and her heart was pounding like nothing else, and she didn't quite know why. She could hear papers rustling behind the door. "Come in." Regina announced. Jennifer took a breath, turned the handle, stepped inside, and gently closed the door behind her.

Her office was all black and white and prim and proper and tight and tidy just like Regina. Jennifer meandered toward Regina's desk, toward the woman sitting _behind_ it. Her hair was matted down with rain. She was a mess compared to Regina's black pant suit and thick, dark lipstick. "Miss Alexander." Regina drawled, a hint of disgust in her voice, her lip curling. "You're very... _wet_."

"It's raining." Jennifer breathed. Regina nodded slowly, raking her eyes over Jennifer's wet clothes.

"Is there something you _need_?"

"I was wondering if I could, um, cash in on that drink you promised." Regina raised her brow at that. She let her pen drop to her desk and gently intertwined her fingers.

"Okay." She drawled and then threw up her hands. "Where would you like to go?" Jennifer sighed heavily, running a hand over flattened hair.

"I don't know." She offered helplessly. Seeing the critical, almost skeptical look Regina was giving her, she blushed. "Somewhere I don't have to think about Emma, I guess. Today's been really damn strange."

Regina furrowed her brow. "Strange?"

"Yeah." She breathed, a sort of amused exhaustion in her tone. "Emma wanted me to ask you about…" she trailed off and shook her head, resting her hand on the back of one of Regina's chairs. "It's ridiculous. _Insane_. I mean, she called me to Granny's for lunch, but we never even got around to eating anything because…"

"Because?"

"It's stupid. This is stupid. I don't even know why I came." She laughed breathlessly, embarrassed that she'd~though subconsciously~indulged Emma's fantasy for so long already. After all, one of the only reasons she'd come here tonight was because she couldn't get what Emma said out of her mind. Regina frowned and shifted in her seat.

"Sit." She requested with this formal but patient expectancy. "Tell me."

And so Jennifer did.

"She kept trying to convince me that everyone in Storybrooke is a fairy tale character from a book she showed me." Regina's eyes flickered to the way Jennifer was rubbing her fingers, the way she shifted in her seat. Concerned for Emma, conflicted maybe. "Did you know about Emma's fairytale thing?" Jennifer's gaze finally met hers.

"I did." She affirmed.

"When did it start?"

"For someone who proclaims to be leaving Storybrooke in a few days, you're very concerned with Sheriff Swan's wellbeing." Regina commented, leaning forward.

"Of course I am! Emma was one of the most level headed people I knew back in foster care. Besides, I still _care_ about her. Granted I've only done two rotations in the psych department so far, but this behavior is characteristic of some kind of... _psychosis_." She burst helplessly.

"I can assure you that Miss Swan is not psychotic." Regina chuckled. "As for when it started, it was about a year ago." She was so calm and informative about this that Jennifer got the sinking feeling she was _hiding_ something. So she leaned back in her chair.

"Don't tell me you believe in all of this nonsense, too?"

"I only believe in the truth, Miss Alexander." Regina replied simply.

"Which is?"

Regina sighed and brought her gaze to Jennifer's. She saw the confusion in Jennifer's eyes and almost felt sorry for her. She didn't ask to be dragged into all of this. She wasn't from the Enchanted Forest. Pure coincidence was what had brought her here. Part of Regina wanted to, she couldn't believe she was even considering this, but part of her wanted to preserve Jennifer's innocence. At least on the subject of magic. Storybrooke was complicated and messy, and it was a rabbit hole that's admittedly far too easy to fall into. But Regina had to save Storybrooke and that meant telling this Other Swan everything. "What your sister told you is true." She finally rushed, her hands clasped together primly on the desk that separated them, the muscles in her jaw twitching.

"As a doctor~as a sane human being~do you honestly expect me to believe that you're the Evil Queen from Snow White?" Jennifer demanded, feeling angry and betrayed.

"No." Regina admitted with a shake of her head. "It took the sheriff a year to believe." Jennifer raised her brow at Regina's honesty, her anger subsiding.

"So this didn't start with Emma?"

"God no." Regina scoffed. "Henry is the one who started it all, really." She reminisced. "He convinced Emma to believe, and Emma broke the curse. I didn't...well, I wasn't happy about it. But it was for the best." She flipped a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

"Are you telling me…"

"That I am who Emma says I am." She declared, clenching her jaw. "I am... _the Evil Queen_." She ground out, her eyes solid and blank. She seemed... _disgusted_ with herself. Jennifer shook her head, almost violent in its brevity.

"No. No this is ridiculous. It isn't _possible_ : princesses and magic and dragons? Even if all this is... _true_...why did Emma feel the need to tell me now? I mean, I'm leaving town in a few days. We haven't seen each other in thirteen years. That's nearly half of our lives. Why this? Why even _bother_?"

"Well," Regina sighed. "The situation is a bit... _dire_."

And, despite her hesitations, Jennifer listened as Regina explained the nature of Storybrooke and the protection spell and how to fix it. When she was finished, Jennifer felt like she'd just stumbled off a rollercoaster.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Jennifer said when Regina closed her mouth and waited for a reaction.

"Why would I lie about this?" Regina asked, getting serious, almost annoyed, for a moment.

"That's exactly what Emma said."

"Well, what reason do we have for making up a story like that?" Regina protested, arms out. Jennifer groaned and rubbed her face with her hands.

"I don't _know_." She responded, frustrated, hands out, almost pleading. "It just can't be... _real_." She sighed and scrubbed her face and shook her head, her eyes red. "You know what, I don't want to talk about Emma anymore." Regina raised her brow. "You wanna get a drink?"

The question surprised her, it was so abrupt and out of the blue. She stared at Miss Alexander for a moment before answering. What a strange person. "I do, actually." Regina admitted, and it was the truth. She hadn't gone to a bar in years, long before Henry was born. She couldn't stand how everyone despised her now.

Regina drove because Jennifer had walked. It was nearing eight o'clock, and they were stuck at a stoplight. Street lights shone off the wet road and the twinkling of everything silhouetted Jennifer's hair. She was glancing out the window, up at the stars. The clouds had cleared quickly after the rain and had left a crisp, wet Storybrooke in its wake. Regina breathed it in as a chill gust from the open window made goosebumps rise on her skin.

Of course she was terrified that Jennifer wouldn't believe by the end of the three days. Of course she was worried by her denial. Of course it was on her mind. But right now she was going to a bar with a woman silhouetted by the stars.

And it was when Jennifer held the door for Regina that she realized that she had started to separate Jennifer from her sister. In her mind she'd often referred to Jennifer simply as The Other Swan or, more formally, Miss Alexander out loud. But, of the two sisters' many differences, right now Regina was admiring the doctor's refreshing ability to consciously set her troubles aside for an evening unlike their brooding Sheriff. Regina traced the floating smile on Jennifer's cheeks with her eyes and quietly confirmed that Miss Alexander was most certainly not Emma Swan.

She'd made them one person in her mind because it seemed easier to be objective about the protection spell that way. It seemed easier to be able to kick her out of town once this was all over. Now it was~she watched Jennifer sit down on a bar stool~well, it was far too late for that.

Jennifer was a nice person, that's what she learned while talking with her. She was polite and quite the optimist and quite the smiler. She had a nice smile. A sweet smile. Most of the time Regina just sipped her drink and listened to Jennifer talk about this or that. Sometimes she threw in her two cents or asked a question or just listened intently because Jennifer was easy to listen to.

"You know, when I was little, before my parents died, my mom used to read me bedtime stories in French so I'd dream of hot summer days on the Seine. That's what she said, anyway."

"Did you know what she was saying?"

"I learned. Besides, I didn't really have a _choice_. My mom, she was a French teacher, and my great-grandparents were first generation from France. She loved the language so much I guess she wanted everyone to learn it too." Jennifer chuckled. "And I loved those stories so much I used to write my own in French. I used to write them in foster care too because there _I_ was the one saving the princesses and fighting the dragons." She chuckled to herself. "I titled the journal Le Conte de J.I. Alexander." Then Jennifer swallowed and glanced down into her drink. "That's why it's just...hard for me to process this whole fairy tale thing because it was escapism for me. I knew it wasn't real. I know it _isn't_ real. I grew out of it. For Emma to still...and _you_ I mean...I don't mean to offend it just... _worries_ me."

Regina let go of her glass and nodded, watching solemnly as Jennifer's emotions in her office bubbled back to the surface. "To have to believe in something you've been told isn't real all your life would be hard for _anyone_."

Jennifer searched Regina's eyes. "Yeah," she agreed, her thumb tracing the rim of her glass absentmindedly. Regina's gaze caught her movements. There were so many questions she wanted to ask.

"Can you still speak French?"

"Oh, oui, je peux. Je parle français chaque fois que je peux." Jennifer smiled. "I speak it whenever I can." She clarified, seeing Regina's pleasant confusion. "Though I don't have much of an opportunity anymore. I spent a year abroad in college. Studied everything in French. It was one of the best experiences of my student career." She smiled again. That dimpled, freckled smile of hers.

"How _is_ being a doctor? You're a…"

"Surgeon." Jennifer nodded. "I'm still a resident, but it is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Terrifying and frustrating a lot of the time but it's so worth it when you get to see people smile." Then she shook her head. "But I'm getting tired of hearing myself talk." She chuckled.

Regina sat up a little straighter, feeling rather put on the spot. " _Oh_." But, for the life of her, she couldn't think of anything to say. Jennifer must have sensed her discomfort because she tapped the top of Regina's hand and shifted in her seat, effectively calming her down.

"Here, we'll start with an easy one. What's your favorite color? Wait don't tell me." She paused, studying Regina who just raised her brow. "Purple." She declared confidently.

"Red." Regina admitted with a smirk.

" _Red_! Damn that was my second guess too." And Jennifer wrinkled her nose and grinned.


	12. Day Two

a/n: Hello again! Sorry about not updating in an eternity, but one good thing that came out of taking a break from fanfiction was that I had time to do college apps and ended up getting accepted so yay. But what I really want to mention is the fact that I've been taking some time to make little edits to part one since I recently finished writing it. All the edits are pretty minor, just making things sound better or flow smoother. **I think chapter eleven is the most edited in terms of coherency and fluency so maybe you wanna check that one out again.**

The other thing I wanted to mention is something I posted in my author's note in chapter one but I'll say it again here because it's a change I made to all past and future chapters: "I'm a sort of a stickler about grammar and neither my keyboard nor this website lets me insert an em dash (something I'm quite fond of and use often). So, as a miniature act of rebellion **I'm creating my own substitute em dash (~)** because whenever I conjoin two hyphens one of them gets deleted, and I don't like it."

Thanks for bearing with me through this monstrously long author's note!

* * *

 _12: Day Two_

She was rudely awakened the next morning by a knocking at her hotel room door. With a groan, she rolled out of the bed. Her ribs burned, and she hissed. The bruises were purple, almost yellow now, but they still hurt like a bitch if she had to twist any which way. She was in a pair of sweats, an old tank top, and her hair was a mass of tight frizzy curls on top of her head when she answered the door.

"Yeah?" She squinted in the bright light of the hallway.

"Hey, what are you still doing in bed? It's like ten o'clock." It was Henry's voice. She huffed a sleepy sort of noise and pushed bushels of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm tired. What do you need, kid?"

"We need to talk. Can I come in?"

"Talk? About what?" But he was already inside. She sighed up to the ceiling before shutting the door behind her. He was sitting on her bed by the time she turned around and opened the blinds so she could see.

"You know, this is the same room my mom stayed in when she first got to Storybrooke." She hummed at his comment as she sat on the bed next to him.

"Alright, so what's this about. You okay?" He pointed to a book he had on the bed. The story book. She sighed.

" _Henry_."

"Just _look_." He insisted, flipping to a page in the book. And look she did. It was a picture of Snow White and Prince Charming fending off the Evil Queen. It was a very _good_ drawing, almost mesmerizing. "Don't they look like Mary Margaret and David?" She sighed.

"I suppose, but, Henry, that doesn't mean it's _them_."

"It _is_ , though. When the curse broke everyone got their memories back. The whole town believes in magic now. My mom can _do_ magic. She can show you."

"Regina?"

"Both of them."

" _Emma_ can do magic?"

"Of course she can. She's the Savior." He stated matter-of-factly. After he explained what the Savior was, Jennifer ran a hand through her hair. It was one thing to believe in magic but another to believe that you can _do_ magic. And another _entirely_ to believe that you're a fucking savior. Henry seemed to know that her silence meant that she needed a minute to process all of this nonsense so he stood up. "Look, I'm supposed to be in school right now so I have to go." He turned to leave, but she called after him.

"Henry, your book!"

"Keep it. You need it more than I do." She sighed, her shoulders slumping. Before he could turn the knob on her door she called after him one last time.

"I talked to your mom~ _Regina_. She said that the protection spell is going to break tomorrow night. You don't seem too worried about it, though."

Henry shrugged. "I believe in you."

The sound of the door closing behind him was ear shattering. Though she was completely alone, she felt like she was suffocating. _I believe in you_ _._ She rubbed her fingers aggressively, wringing out her hands and sighing. She had a little boy depending on her to save his home. She frowned. How was she supposed to believe in this when everything she'd ever known was telling her it wasn't real? He needed her to be a hero, and she didn't know how.

. . .

Honestly, Henry didn't know how Jenny was going to believe, but he did know that the book could help. The way she'd looked at it before, it was like she could feel it. Henry knew she could, but, like Emma, she wasn't ready to accept it yet.

He could be patient. He still had some time. On his way back to school, however, he saw Emma walking towards Gold's shop. What would Emma want with Gold? His curiosity piqued, he turned and jogged to the shop, careful to remain out of sight. And knowing that the bell would ring if he opened the door, he peeked into the window instead.

. . .

Emma had been thinking a lot lately, and something wasn't right. Something wasn't adding up, and it had everything to do with Regina and Gold. Ever since Regina came to her door and told her about the protection spell failing, she'd referenced Gold's involvement as if they were a team. It wasn't all that surprising, to be honest. What was surprising, what was _bothering_ her, was the fact that she hadn't seen them together. In fact, she hadn't seen Gold at all in the last few days. Regina was acting like a messenger, and if Emma knew Regina at all she knew that she was no messenger.

So she decided to go confront Gold about all this, go to the source. It was about time she found out what was really going on anyway. The bell dinged when she entered the shop. Before she could get very far, Gold and Regina quickly walked out from the back. Gold sighed when he saw her~something in between exasperation and relief. "Do you need something, Sheriff?" Emma narrowed her eyes.

"I know you two are hiding something from me about this whole protection spell thing." Judging from their reactions, she could hazard a guess that the thing they were hiding from her was here now.

"Whatever do you mean?" Rumple asked as innocently as possible. Regina, on the other hand, simply chuckled, her eyes deceivingly dark and her expression maliciously calculating, almost disgusted. _Of course_ the _savior_ would suspect something. Emma, in response, looked ready to pounce, and her hand was itching to grab onto her gun.

"You think we're planning something _evil_?" Regina asked, stepping forward with a dangerous glint in her eye and an amused smirk. She was _purposefully_ being the Evil Queen now, trying to scare Emma off or possibly just distract her. "That this is all some elaborate plan to get Henry back?" She asked in a low, challenging tone. Emma held her ground. "Because I can assure you, Miss Swan, when I take Henry back it won't be quite so… _subtle_." Her nose crinkled when she said it, a malicious grin on her face.

Both women knew that Regina was playing on Emma's fears. Though the words were spoken dripping with contempt, Emma knew they didn't equate to a threat. It was more of a warning than anything.

"You won't be taking Henry back any time soon, Madam Mayor." Emma growled, taking a step closer to Regina. "He's _my_ son."

"I raised him for ten years, Sheriff. He's _mine_." Regina shot back, her anger quickly rising far past what she'd intended when this conversation started.

" _Enough_." Gold finally implored. "I don't know what you expect to find here, Miss Swan, but we're not hiding anything." Emma furrowed her brow, glancing to Gold's ever-stoic features, her stance guarded.

The only reason Gold didn't want Cora exposed was because it'd just be more trouble than it's worth to have to explain her to the town. But before they could finally tell Emma off there was a rustling from the back, and the one woman they had just denied the existence of came waltzing out in full view of Emma.

"This damned thing isn't working." Cora growled in frustration, holding a flip phone by its screen out in front of her. She looked about ready to blast it to ashes. They'd been trying to teach her how to use it, but it was an agonizingly slow process.

Emma's mouth fell open. Gold sighed, and Regina nursed the growing headache blossoming behind her eyes. "Cora?" She asked hesitantly. The brunette looked up and eyed Emma curiously.

"And who are you?" She asked, and Emma was even more confused.

"You're… _here_." Emma sputtered, and Cora cocked her head and furrowed her brow. The blonde woman confused and annoyed Cora. So she narrowed her eyes and scrutinized her. "How is that possible?" She asked, looking from Regina to Gold to Cora.

"It's a…short and mysterious story." Gold ground out as Emma continued to stare at Cora.

"What the hell?" Emma burst and Regina quickly led the blonde to the back of the shop to reluctantly explain what was going on. Gold followed so that the two women wouldn't kill each other. After all, Emma would certainly be mad that they had just lied to her face as well as that they hadn't told her about Cora being in Storybrooke— _again_.

Henry watched as his mom and Gold said something to a brunette woman before leading his other mom into the back of the shop. And he saw his opportunity. Eagerly—innocently—he swung open the door to the shop and slipped inside. The brunette woman's eyes traveled to his small form, and she raised her brow as a small smile spread across her lips. "You're the boy who's been watching from the window." She told him knowingly. And he felt a blush creep across his cheeks, caught red handed.

"Yeah," he admitted shyly.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked curiously. "Don't you know who owns this shop?" As she said that she could distinctly hear muttering in the back room, briefly catching her attention.

"Why didn't you tell me she was here?" The blonde.

"I didn't want everyone thinking there'd be a repeat of last time." Mara.

"Is there going to be a repeat of last time?" The blonde.

" _No_."

"Yeah, I just wanted to stop in for a minute." The boy supplied—bringing her back to reality. She noted that he had a horrible lying face and was briefly reminded of her young daughter at home. Regina was exactly the same.

"Did you hear that?" Rumple.

"Hear what?" The blonde.

"Someone else is here." And then before Cora could say anything else there were footsteps and three people walked into the front of the shop to see who it could be.

"Henry?" Emma asked, confused.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked almost at the same time, and Henry had the sudden feeling that he really shouldn't be here right now (and it had nothing to do with skipping school). He stuttered on an answer, an _excuse_. Cora watched the interaction with interest. Rumple wasn't particularly concerned with the boy's—Henry's—appearance but the two women did seem to be. So they were close to him then.

"Well, um, I was just...trying to find you…'cause, um, I'm not feeling good." He supplied, clutching his stomach for effect. Emma glared down at him, and if Henry even dared to look at his other mom he would see that Regina was raining hellfire down on him with her eyes. Frustrated, Regina slapped her hand to his forehead, feeling for a temperature.

"You're perfectly healthy." She told him. "I can't _believe_ you skipped school." She chastised, her eyes worried and angry at the same time. Henry, figuring that his ruse would last all of two seconds, put on his wounded puppy face, hoping to gain some sympathy.

"Really, kid? This is not like you." Emma sighed, more disappointed than anything. Regina's angry, worried glare and Emma's disappointment really cut Henry. And, all at once, he confessed.

"I just had to get the book to Jenny! I thought it would help her believe."

"But playing hookie to get it to her wasn't the best option." Emma explained.

"No it certainly was not." Regina added coldly. Henry deflated, glancing down at the ground.

"Come on, kid, let's get you back to school." Emma grabbed his shoulder and practically dragged him to the door. But that disappointment was still there in her voice and the tightness of her lip, and it made Henry feel ten times worse. Before they could leave, Henry glanced up to see his mom with her hands on her hips and a mix of frustration and concern in her eyes.

"We don't have to tell anyone." Emma said to the adults as they stood in the doorway to Gold's shop. "But I want to be kept in the loop from now on."

"Kept in the loop about what?" Henry couldn't help but ask as he was being shuffled out of Gold's shop. No matter how upset he was, it made him more so when he realized he was being kept in the dark about something. When he didn't get an answer he turned to the mysterious brunette. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cora." She responded immediately before anyone could stop her. And time seemed to slow down because Cora watched as Henry's face simultaneously lit up, Emma tried to shuffle him away, Regina's eyes widened, and Gold just looked like he had completely given up.

"Cora?" He asked in disbelief. "Like, Cora as in…" he trailed off and looked to Regina in shock who couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence at the moment. "Cool!" He exclaimed excitedly. "I never met~" he was cut off by Emma's hand over Henry's mouth. Regina was thankful that Emma had at least enough sense not to let Cora know who he was. They couldn't risk altering Regina's future, after all.

Cora was completely baffled at this point. "Alright, Henry, time to go." Emma said, practically pushing him out the door.

Once the two had left, Cora turned to Mara and Gold. "You're hiding me." Her eyes flashed between her two rather silent hosts. Rumple seemed more peeved, like he had been inconvenienced, than angry. And Mara seemed frozen, almost wondering what what she was supposed to do now that the secret was out~at least beyond their little circle. When no one answered, Cora took a step toward them. "I have no problem cooperating with you, Rumple. I have no interest in this place. But in order for me to keep your secrets, I need to understand why they're being kept."

Rumple sighed heavily, glancing at Mara before turning to Cora. "You have to understand, our past is related to your future. For the same reason you can't tell us who sent you, we have to keep certain... _details_ from you."

"Am I really to believe that there's absolutely _nothing_ you can tell me?" She challenged, sauntering even closer to Rumple.

"Other than that it would be very _bad_ if Storybrooke knew you were here? No." He responded like the answer was stupidly obvious. Cora grit her teeth. She had to weigh her options here. Her curiosity was starting to get the best of her. She glanced to Mara who wore an oddly forlorn expression. She had her arms tightly folded across her chest and her raven hair was falling haphazardly on her shoulders. It was odd because she was staring intently at Cora, her brow furrowed, her features pensive, stoic, icy.

The entire time she'd been here she saw Mara as an outsider, an assistant, a lesser, but that look told her that Mara knew her. Mara was part of her future. Of course Cora suspected as much when Rumple wouldn't tell her Mara's real name, but now she was seeing the recognition in _Mara's_ eyes, and it was oddly humbling.


	13. Day Three: part one

_13: Day Three: part one_

It wasn't easy explaining to Henry why he couldn't let his other grandma know who he is. That is, it was hard for _her_ anyway. Cora had come back from the past. She didn't know who they were. She didn't know who Regina was because this version of Cora existed when Regina was very young. Henry, however, being the resilient little kid that he was, accepted it on faith.

"But when do I get to meet my grandma?" He asked in the car ride back to school. Emma sighed uncomfortably.

"I dunno, kid."

"Is she ever gonna know who I am?"

"She knew the first time."

"But I didn't get to meet her the first time. And she was evil. Now she doesn't seem so evil."

"Just...be careful around her. Don't let her know who we are."

"What if we just told her? We could make my mom's life a little better when Cora goes back to the Enchanted Forest, right?"

"It doesn't work like that, Henry. We can't go changing the past. It could change the future~ _our_ _present_." Henry sighed, slumping in his seat. There was silence in the car for a moment, and Emma took the opportunity to be a mom. "Henry...you can't go skipping school again."

"But it was important!"

"You should have asked me." Emma shot back firmly. There was a heavy silence, and she sighed calmingly. "Look, kid, if you make that excuse once you'll make it again. Then you'll be skipping school for stupid things you thought were more important. The real world doesn't work like that. Besides, Henry…" she sighed, not knowing how much she wanted to actually tell him this. "When I was your age I skipped school all the time. I don't...I never went to college. I never got a steady job. If it wasn't for Storybrooke I'd be working the same dead end career I'd been working for years."

Henry was silent in the seat next to her as they pulled up at the school. She parked the car and took a deep breath, gathering her most stoic mom face.

"I want you to come straight home after school. You're grounded."

Henry shot up in his seat.

"But mom!"

" _Henry_."

"Don't you even care about saving Storybrooke?" He practically shouted. "Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about? You're just like my mom." He growled before slamming the car door behind him and running up to school. Emma wanted to call after him, but her voice died in her throat.

. . .

Regina didn't usually do takeout, but today had been a long, frustrating, tiring day, and she really did not want to cook. Between trying to deal with Henry's sudden disobedience, the Jennifer Crisis, Gold's and Cora's demands for _her_ to deal with Miss Alexander, keeping Cora hidden, and now Miss Swan's intrusion into their otherwise well oiled machine, she was exhausted.

So, she stopped by Granny's that evening for a late dinner. She had yet to talk to Emma about Henry's behavior, but that could wait for her stomach. It was almost ten, and Granny was ready to close up for the night. Not that anyone ever came in past nine anyway. But when she walked in, she was not expecting what she saw. Jennifer Alexander was sitting at the bar with some fries, a glass of some kind of liquor, and Henry's storybook.

Jennifer seemed to be able to feel Regina's gaze on her because she turned, and her eyes lit up when she saw who it was. "Hey, Miss Mills, I wanted to talk to you! You just caught me, too; I was about to leave." She smiled a lazy, watery sort of smile with sparkling eyes. Regina raised her brow curiously and sat down slowly next to Jennifer. "I heard about Henry skipping school. Mary Margaret, um, caught up with me this afternoon. We were just talking about Henry and Emma, and I guess he's grounded." Grounded? Well, at least she knew Miss Swan could do one thing right.

"Good. Skipping school isn't a condonable offense."

"Yeah, I know." She admitted sheepishly. "That's what I wanted to talk about, actually. I should have taken him back to school this morning when he knocked on my door."

"Yes, well, it would have been nice of you to at least let me know." Regina admitted, trying to catch her gaze.

"Next time! Well, hopefully there _isn't_ …one." Jennifer stopped. "Look, it was irresponsible of me. I _am_ sorry."

"I know; thank you." Regina answered genuinely, her gaze catching Jennifer's cheeks which were somehow even more flushed than usual. Her eyes were sharp and shining, and she frowned at Regina's stare. Regina swallowed and took a breath in through her nose, refocusing. Tomorrow will be the last day before the protection spell breaks, and she had better things to worry about than the red tinge to Jennifer's skin. "So what did you think of the book?" Jennifer scoffed.

"It's _ridiculous_." She admitted. "I read the entire thing today. I mean it's so...vibrant and creative. I can see why Henry would latch onto something like this. And I feel horrible because I know he's counting on me, but I just can't... _believe_ it." Her voice was swaying.

"And why not?" Regina asked. Jennifer took a sip of her drink.

"Because it's _magic_. It isn't _real_." In response, Regina lit a fire ball in her palm. Jennifer turned to Regina curiously at the sound of a roaring flame but then nearly jumped out of her skin. She stumbled off the bar stool, her eyes wide with terror.

"Fuck! Regina, you're...!" Jennifer dove for a towel to smother the flames, and Regina's name on her tongue made her chest tighten. It had only been Miss Mills up until now. Quickly, Regina closed her palm and stood up, taking a step toward her.

"It's okay. I'm fine." She assured. She held out her palm. "See?" Jennifer froze, skeptical and speechless, towel in hand. Hesitantly, she straightened her shoulders and approached, glancing from Regina's eyes to her palm.

"You're not... _burned_." Jennifer, ever so slowly, traced her finger along the ridges of Regina's hand. The mayor watched her patiently, tracing the flickering of Jennifer's lashes. "H-How is that possible?" Jennifer asked, looking up at Regina whose expression quickly evened.

"It's magic. The Evil Queen can do magic, can't she?" Regina's musing words were laced with a heaviness that Jennifer's tipsy head couldn't decipher. She frowned, her finger dropping from Regina's palm.

"...Magic?" Jennifer asked slowly, testing the word out on her tongue. "No, Regina, how…" she looked pained and irritated, thinking Regina was being facetious. "How did you...do…"

" _Magic_ , Miss Alexander. It's _real_." Regina blinked rapidly, almost annoyed in her assurance. She was quickly realizing that Jennifer might not remember much of this in the morning if she kept drinking like she was.

"Look," Jennifer sighed, standing up. "That was a nice little trick, but it wasn't funny. I thought you were _hurt_."

"It wasn't a trick." Regina told her, quick and angry now.

"Alright, fine. _Fine_." Jennifer hissed, her breath smelling like the alcohol she was drinking. Regina quieted, straightening her shoulders. And she waited, her surprise hidden behind a blank facade. Jennifer was actually... _angry_. "I have to go." Jennifer finally sighed, glancing down as she picked up her jacket and Henry's book.

Wordlessly, Jennifer left Regina standing there in the diner, alone with her heels and a plate of french fries. The ice machine whirred, there were two dull clicks of Regina's shoes, and Ruby peered from the back with questioning eyes. She, much like the rest of the town, was vehemently suspicious of Regina. So, she watched as the mayor, with a crushing grip and a bone-snapping clench of her jaw, grabbed the glass of liquor Jennifer had been gulping and downed it. Ruby watched as she winced and hissed and squeezed her eyes shut with a resigned nod.

"She drinks paint stripper."

. . .

The next morning Jennifer awoke with a throbbing head and a churning stomach. After adjusting her eyes to the light of a crisp morning sun and groaning her way into a fresh set of clothes, she made her way down to the diner for a nice, cold 7-Up and maybe a few saltine crackers if she thought she could stomach it.

Her head was throbbing like there was a jackhammer being slammed into her skull. It felt almost as bad as her concussion had. Thank god that had been mild enough to be gone by now, though. Because if she had still had noticeable symptoms yesterday then she wouldn't have been drinking. She was a doctor not an idiot.

So, after going to Granny's the previous night for some fries (which, she'd discovered, were the best in town) she went to an actual bar for some actual drinks. It wasn't her usual go to stress reliever, but it was a good tool for forgetting. And, just for a moment, she had really just needed to forget how much she was letting Henry down. She couldn't help that she cared for him a disproportionately large amount for only being in this god forsaken town a week.

She couldn't help that she wanted to make everything better so badly and that she put the blame on herself if anyone ever felt vaguely less than okay. She was a doctor, and it was her job, and one of her closest friends, Valerie, always told her that she cared too much, and she always agreed, but she never did anything about it. Val said that she couldn't hold the world on her shoulders forever, and she agreed. And she never did anything about it.

The usual crowd was in the diner for breakfast when she sat at the bar and flopped her head on the counter. "Rough night?" Ruby asked as she approached. Jennifer looked up. There was a slight smirk on Ruby's face.

"Don't talk so loud." She groaned.

"I'll grab you some aspirin. Anything else?"

"A 7-Up and some saltines please." She sighed, her brow furrowed appreciatively. Ruby smiled knowingly before turning away when the bell above Granny's dinged. She winced but turned at the noise. It was Regina. When she spotted Jennifer, she took a breath and walked to her with hesitant devotion.

"Do you remember what I showed you last night?" Regina asked, clasping her hands together in front of her. Jennifer frowned.

"Last night? I didn't…" and then it came back to her. Her mouth fell open, and her eyes widened. "Oh. Regina." The mayor watched her in her perfect pant suit and perfect hair and expectant eyes. And Jennifer, her hair in a haphazard ponytail and no makeup, didn't know what to say. "Wow, I must have been really drunk. I could have sworn you…" she held her hand, palm up, like a claw. "...you, you had fire in your hand. But you weren't getting burned."

"You're correct; I did do that." Regina affirmed, expressionless as Ruby approached with what looked like a makeshift hangover cure for Jennifer.

"Here you go!"

"Thank you so much, Ruby." Jennifer sighed, and Regina took the opportunity to ask Ruby for a coffee. It was quick and ungracious, and Ruby had no patience for it, but Jennifer didn't really notice in the moment. After downing the aspirin, Jennifer looked to Regina again. "That couldn't have been real. It's not _possible_." Regina sighed, exasperated.

"Are you always in the habit of denying things that are right in front of you?" She accused, a little more annoyed this time.

"I don't…!" Regina just glared at her.

"Miss Alexander, don't insult me."

"I'm not trying~"

"You think I'm lying to you." Regina cut off Jennifer's plea with a low voiced reminder.

"Just because I don't think what you're saying is... _truthful_...doesn't mean I don't think it's _honest_!" Jennifer protested a little more enthusiastically than she'd wanted as Ruby came back with Regina's coffee.

"Alright whatever you're... _afraid of_...it isn't helping anyone." Regina told her, self-righteous, before turning, knowing full well that Jennifer was currently in no position to accept what she had seen. And she walked out of Granny's with her coffee and her dignity.

"Regina!" Jennifer called after her, almost a whine, but she was gone. Her head pounded, and her throat tightened, and she wanted to punch something.

. . .

If Rumple wasn't going to tell her more about this mysterious brunette, Mara, then Cora was going to find out for herself. She seemed oddly familiar, but Cora couldn't place her. She wasn't part of any royal court in the Enchanted Forest because Cora would have remembered her, but she must have been powerful if she was working this closely with Rumple. Besides, her expression yesterday after the Sheriff and Henry left was still burning in the back of her eyes.

Her thoughts strayed as she observed Mara walk through the streets of Storybrooke to a building called "Granny's." She watched through the window, from the shadows, as Mara talked with Jennifer Alexander. Cora couldn't help but admire how innocent Jennifer was. She was completely oblivious to the fact that there were other realms beside her own and things more powerful than she could imagine right in her own backyard. She couldn't help but chuckle at the world that was waiting for her.

. . .

"Are you nervous?" Cora asked, amused. She watched as Rumple sighed in annoyance and looked up at her. They were standing in his shop, waiting for Regina to come in and say that Miss Alexander had had some sort of epiphany, that she believed now. Though Cora was less threatening when she was this young she was still just as meddling and irritating.

"We need Miss Alexander to believe." Gold ground out.

"She will." Cora told him gently as she watched the trees sway in the morning breeze. "Give her time."

"We don't _have_ time." Rumple pointed out. "Mara showed her magic, and she still _refuses_ to accept the truth." Rumple exclaimed, curling his lip in frustration.

"Rumple, I have seen the way Mara and Jennifer interact. She can get her to believe if she truly wants to."

"Did you tell _her_ that?"

" _Of course_. In fact, she might even be with her now."

. . .

That afternoon, when she was sure Henry would be home, Regina knocked on Emma's door with force that was probably unnecessary. She waited impatiently for the door to open and when it did Snow was standing there expectantly. "Do you need something, Regina?"

"I'm here to talk about Henry...and Miss Alexander." She admitted, her hands clasped firmly in front of her. Snow admitted that they were all just talking about what their next steps would be and let her in, quickly showing her to the Charming family dinner table where the four of them were already gathered.

It was partially Cora that had pushed her to come here but also her own desperation. It was the afternoon of the third day and Jennifer was in a state of perpetual denial on the existence of magic.

When Henry saw her from his spot at the table he jumped up, a look of urgency on his face. Emma quickly followed. "Mom! Good, you're here! We have to find Jenny! We have to show her magic!"

Her heart fluttered. He didn't realize how long she'd been waiting for him to want her. So, like a fool, she almost stumbled over her next words. "I...already have. Last night, but she was…" Regina curled her lip. "...rather intoxicated. She blamed it on the alcohol."

"Well, we have to show her again."

"Henry, hold on a minute. You're not leaving this house." Emma reminded him. It looked like Henry was about ready to cry in frustration at this point.

"Don't any of you realize how important this is? Jenny has to save Storybrooke! I can help!"

"And we'd let you if you hadn't betrayed Emma's trust." Charming jumped in. What about _her_ trust, Regina couldn't help but wonder bitterly. Henry licked his lips and turned to Emma, angry but determined.

"You have to convince her. Jenny has to trust you. She won't believe if she doesn't trust you."

"And how do you propose Emma does that?" Snow asked.

"Jenny was mad at Emma when she first came to Storybrooke, right? Well, if she doesn't trust you then she's obviously not over it. You just have to make things right again."

"Kid, that's a lot easier said than done."

"Well, you have to _try_!" He turned to Regina. "Mom, Jenny likes you. She might listen to you. You should go, too." The comment threw Regina off guard, but she didn't have time to process it before everyone started talking at once, all having different ideas on how to approach Henry's suggestion. Their voices swirled in the air, and Regina nearly throttled all of them for the insufferable racket.

"Enough!" Regina finally yelled over the noise. She sighed, glaring at each of them. "Either we do this now or we lose Storybrooke."


	14. Day Three: part two

_14: Day Three: part two_

Rumple had put a rather powerful protection spell over his shop~though it was more of a lock or a playpen~to keep Cora in while he went out for an afternoon or when he had to deal with his precious Belle. That particular afternoon, after Rumple had become insufferably impatient waiting for Regina to come back, he went out~only for fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. But he was nervous. And especially so when he walked back into his shop to find her still not there.

"Is Mara still gone?" He asked. So far he had done a good job of keeping Belle far away from Cora, but she'd be coming here from the library soon, he couldn't stall her much longer, and Cora needed to be babysat. He didn't trust her alone. He'd even been sleeping in the shop just a room away from her to make sure she didn't try to sneak out.

" _Yes_." Cora almost laughed. Like he actually expected her to be back in twenty short minutes? "Should I have not sent her in the first place?" She asked ridiculously. "Today, Rumple, if you haven't noticed, is the last day of safety your precious town will have without Jennifer's belief."

"Yes, but I didn't think she'd be _gone_ this long. Right now I need R-Mara. Besides, there are other people that are better equipped to convincing Miss Alexander that are dealing with the situation!" He knew that Regina was on a short list of people capable of convincing Jennifer, but the benefit of being on a list was that there were still multiple other people willing and able to do her job.

" _Who_? The blonde?" She asked it accusingly like Rumple should know that Mara currently stood far taller than _the blonde_ in Jennifer's eyes and that that was reason enough for her to be doing what Rumple was planning on having _Emma_ do.

"She and the Sheriff have known each other for years. It might be best if someone she _trusted_ told her." He responded tightly. Cora just sighed, remembering how Mara hadn't paid a lick of attention to the waitress at Granny's but had, no matter how frustrated she looked, kept her eyes fixed keenly on Jennifer. And she remembered Mara commenting that "sheriff Swan's" attempt at telling Jennifer hadn't gone well the first time. So she couldn't help but wonder why in all the realms Rumple preferred the sheriff to Mara. Maybe he just wanted to make sure she was supervised. Deep down she knew it was true.

"Speaking of the sheriff, was that her son, that boy earlier?" He gave her a dismissive confirmation, too lost in thought to answer properly as he paced the room. "But Mara seemed rather invested in him as well." She pushed so he finally sighed and looked up.

"Emma is the boy's _biological_ mother. She gave him up. Mara _adopted_ him. Now that Emma lives in Storybrooke, they have to...coexist. Okay?"

"Yes, I suppose. I just don't understand your rush."

"I don't have time to explain." He said before enveloping them in a cloud of magic. The next second they were standing in Gold's cabin somewhere deep in the Storybrooke forest. "Stay here until I come back for you. It's important that no one knows you're here." He told her as he cast a quick little protection spell.

"Yes, yes I _know_ , Rumple. You've told me many ti-" Before she could finish he had already gone. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

. . .

"Enough!" Regina yelled over the noise. She sighed, glaring at each of them. "Either we do this now or we lose Storybrooke."

The Charmings' apartment was silent after Regina's outburst. They glanced at each other. "Mom's right." Henry declared firmly, positioning himself next to Regina. That made everyone stop. And Emma, wide eyed, looked from Henry to her parents then swallowed. Cornered.

"Right. Okay. I'll... _talk_ to her."

"I'll go with." Regina chimed, stepping forward. "Henry might be right. Miss Alexander's been confiding in me." Emma and the two idiots raised their brows in surprise. "What?" Regina asked sharply. "Surprised that the Evil Queen can be _friendly_?" Her voice was dangerously playful, her eyes were daggers, and the surrounding Charmings held their breath.

"You can be _polite_." Snow finally suggested with an awkward shrug of her shoulders. Regina's eyes burned with an anger she had to contain for now, and she turned on her heel.

"We're wasting daylight, Miss Swan." She called, striding out of the apartment. Emma scrambled to catch up.

They didn't find Jennifer for a good twenty minutes. And when they did, she was in the garage getting her car back from Billy. "Thank you so much, Mr. Rose."

"Sorry it took so long. I had to order some parts." He confessed. Jennifer sighed and shook her head.

"It's a rental. My insurance is paying for it. I'm just glad it's done. Besides, I couldn't get another car out here anyway. No one could find this place." She shrugged. "Storybrooke's not on the map, apparently."

"It wouldn't be." Regina said from the head of the garage. Jennifer turned, car keys in hand, to find Emma and Regina there waiting for her. "The protection spell is very powerful."

Jennifer just sighed, rather mentally overtaxed at this point. She really did not need this right now. And it was all because of Regina's words from the diner. They'd been bothering her all day. _What was_ _she_ _afraid_ _of_ _?_ Disappointing Henry was one. Losing Emma was another. Deep down, she knew that if she left town now she'd never fix what she had with Emma. And she did want to fix it. So she wasn't planning on leaving right away. There were just two problems. The first was that she felt she'd lose Emma if she stayed but refused to "save" the town. The second was that she knew that it wasn't the town that needed saving here; it was her _job_ after all these mysterious days off she was taking.

So she had to chose between Emma and her career, and she was afraid, either way, of the consequences.

"Come on, guys, not now." Her voice was pained.

"Jenny, _please_."

Regina stepped forward. "Just give Miss Swan a chance to talk to you. You'll want to hear what she has to say."

"What could she possibly say that doesn't involve fairytales or excuses?" Jennifer's words were more out of frustration than anything else. She was stressed, and she just needed them to leave her _alone_ right now.

"Look, I'm sorry!" Emma called across the garage, and Jennifer's eyes quickly moved to her over Regina's shoulder, confused and surprised. And the blonde took a more confident step forward. "I know all of this has been a real change for you. Seeing me as a sheriff, with a _son_." The pieces of what Emma wanted to say seemed to fit together in her mind as she stepped forward. "When I saw you I was so happy because I thought that we could be a _family_ again. I thought what I did was right and that you _knew_ it. I~I didn't even think that it might hurt to see me again. That it might...I don't know...dredge up old feelings.

"So I'm sorry that I made you feel like you...like you weren't worth sticking around for. I'm sorry I left without an explanation. Most of all I'm sorry that you've had to feel all this self doubt for _years_ because of me. I know you don't trust me because you think I'll just leave again, but I _won't_ , Jenny.

"Look, I wouldn't forgive myself either. I was an ass, and, most importantly, I hurt you." She shook her head. "You know why I'd do it again, but if I had to go back I'd do it _differently_. Yeah, okay, I'd still leave, but I wouldn't have _abandoned_ you. We would have _kept in_ _contact_. Truly, Jenny. I really do regret that." She sighed, her brow furrowed tightly as she searched Jennifer's melting eyes.

"Jennifer, please, you and I both know that being in foster care makes it hard to trust anyone. But listen to me when I tell you this. I know you think I'm crazy, but before Henry found me in Boston I want you to know that my life was just as normal as yours. Then I came _here_. And I discovered things that I never dreamed were real. Trust me, Jennifer, I was just as much a skeptic as you. But Henry showed me magic. He showed me that there are other... _realms_...out there. He taught me things that I'd never have known without magic. I'm not crazy. And neither is Henry or Regina." She moved forward again, in front of the mayor. "I'm still _Emma_." She breathed forcefully. "No matter how much you hate me I'll always be there for you. I'll always tell you the truth. And I'm telling you the truth now, Jennifer, please…"

Jennifer didn't know what to say. She'd wanted this since her first day in town, of all people Emma knew that. And it was a damn good speech. But she was a rather easily swayed sort of person. She often had to remind herself to examine all angles before making a decision~whether it be on a furniture set or a political view. So she stared, open mouthed and conflicted, at Emma's persistent stare and pleading eyes.

Regina caught how Jennifer was wavering and stepped forward, in front of Emma. "Miss Swan _is_ telling you the truth." And she took a step even closer, nearly invading Jennifer's personal space. She glanced down and grabbed Jennifer's wrists, gentle and guiding. "Storybrooke needs you."

Jennifer swallowed, a lump in her throat. This desperation~from both of them~was scaring her. If this were an operating room she'd be right as rain but this was... _magic_. And they were all depending on her for something she had no idea how to _begin_ to tackle. Regina saw how overwhelmed Jennifer was getting and refocused her attention by letting go of one of her wrists and holding her own palm face up. Jennifer watched as fire spouted from Regina's empty hand, and she jumped, but Regina's grip tightened on her wrist. Jennifer was positively wonderstruck. "You're on…"

Regina's eyes twinkled as she watched Jennifer process it. She watched as the cogs clunked into motion in her head. Jennifer's gaze slid to Regina's in astonishment. "How does it…?"

With a flick of her wrist, Regina poofed the two of them to her office. Jennifer stumbled back in shock. "Work?" Regina finished. "It just does." She leaned forward, a raging fire in her eyes and a dangerous edge to her smile. "It's _magic_."

"We're in your office." Jennifer's mouth hung open.

"Astute observation."

" _Fuck_." Jennifer breathed as she stuck her hands in her curly locks and looked around, absolutely dumbstruck. "This is... _real_."

"As real as the medicine you practice." Regina offered calmly.

"Emma was telling the truth this whole time." A thousand things ran through her head~Snow White and Prince Charming and…"You're actually the Evil Queen." She breathed, looking at Regina in shock. The mayor exhaled forcefully through her nose, but she didn't say anything as Jennifer continued. "And last I read... _Cora_. Cora's your mother! How did she get here? I thought she was~"

"In Wonderland, yes." Regina confirmed, sighing. "It's...complicated. This Cora is younger. She used a time portal to come to Storybrooke. From her point of view, in the Enchanted Forest, I'm very young. She doesn't know who I am. To her I'm... _Mara_."

"Mara?"

"Gold. It was Gold's idea." Regina shook her head. Jennifer furrowed her brow and took some steps backward.

"Okay, but how did she know to come? Why is she here?"

"No one knows." Regina shook her head. "And the simple answer to _why_ is that we need her. There are two different kinds of magic: old and new. The protection spell was cast with old magic, but rarely anyone practices it anymore. I knew enough from my mother to add it into the dark curse, but only Cora knows enough to fix the protection spell permanently."

"So she just…" Jennifer pursed her lips and shook her head. "...showed up when it was most convenient?"

"Exactly."

"And you need me because…?"

"No one's supposed to be able to find Storybrooke, but you did. And in the process, somehow, you broke the protection spell. Cora needs to cast a new spell with your blood, the blood of a believer, in order to truly fix it."

"So basically I broke it; I fix it." Jennifer nodded. Regina couldn't help the amused quirk of her lips and quick chuckle at Jennifer's casual, every so logical conclusion.

"Yes, I suppose that's exactly what's happening."

But Jennifer wasn't smiling along with her. In fact, she sighed heavily, pressing one hand to her forehead and the other to her waist. Her thoughts were straying elsewhere. "I have to fix the protection spell." She echoed absently, a realization, almost like she was straining to connect some invisible dots. " _Emma_ …"

"Are you going to forgive her?" Regina prodded, trying to figure out what Jennifer was stuck on. But it was almost as if she hadn't heard her~or as if it wasn't Regina talking but rather the voice inside Jennifer's own head. But then something clicked, however appalled Jennifer seemed by the realization.

" _Forgive_ her?" She asked, almost rhetorical. A whirlwind of emotions flew behind Jennifer's eyes. "Had Emma apologized like that when she first walked into my hospital room I would have forgiven her. Had she apologized to me when we talked in the diner I would have forgiven her. Hell, I have been…" She almost laughed. "... _trying_ to forgive her for years."

Regina frowned when tears started to prickle at Jennifer's eyes and watched as she tapped her foot, hating herself for them.

"All I needed," she continued, "was to know that she felt... _remorse_ for what she did. I needed to hear her _say_ it. To know that she _knew_ _too_. I just…" She swallowed, angry. "... _really_ needed to know that I wasn't crazy for feeling so _hurt_ and _betrayed_. But now I just can't help thinking that it wasn't...genuine. And that just really…" She trailed off, choking on her words, and didn't continue.

"What gave you the impression it wasn't a genuine apology?" Regina wondered. She didn't know what Emma had planned to say to Jennifer when the two of them found her, but her speech seemed rather spur of the moment to Regina. And though she was never given any clarification as to what this feud was about, she was sensing that it was something that needed more that just a Band-Aid and a kiss.

"Because it was under _duress_. Regina, this was Emma's last chance to get me to stay and listen, and I needed to be receptive... _vulnerable_." Her voice was quick and angry now, contrasted sharply by the faint tears on her cheeks and the sniffling she did between words.

A small, strained noise escaped the back of Regina's throat, wanting to protest but not knowing how. The situation was eerily reminiscent of Cora framing her for Archie's "murder," and she found herself immediately sympathetic.

Jennifer wiped her nose and shook her head, trying hard to compose herself as she wrung out her fingers. "Look, I don't wanna…" She hesitated. "The point is I just want to fix the protection spell, and that's it." She announced, rather final, still fidgeting. Regina watched as other thoughts tumbled through her head, and she looked increasingly worried. "But what if I can't...I mean I'm not a fucking savior or whatever." She said the word with disgust, distancing herself from this mess of a town.

And Regina didn't know how to handle Jennifer's feelings of inadequacy. "Nobody expects you to wield a sword or perform some impossible feat. You're belief is enough." Regina hesitated, cocking her head. If Jennifer didn't want to talk about Emma then they didn't have to.

"I don't need to do anything...else?"

"What like cast a spell?" Regina mocked. A blush rose to Jennifer's cheeks, and Regina found it oddly endearing. "As for the blood, we didn't exactly have syringes in the Enchanted Forest, but I'm sure as a doctor you'd appreciate not having your hand sliced by a knife."

"Yes, I would appreciate that very much." Jennifer gasped with a laugh, and Regina noticed that she had stopped wringing out her fingers.


	15. Day Three: part three

_15: Day Three: part three_

Almost immediately after Rumple left Cora wanted to leave as well. She felt trapped and suffocated in this tiny cabin. She knew she was being hidden away, and if she didn't want her spell book back so badly she wouldn't have listened to a word Rumple said. But the only way to get it back _was_ to listen. She didn't have time to start a war for the book and the wand, and besides, she'd be getting them both back by tonight if everything went according to plan with Jennifer. After all, she had to get back to her daughter in the Enchanted Forest. Cora had big plans for little Regina.

But the more she started thinking about Rumple getting angry with her about Mara, and the more she thought about him hiding her away the more curious she became. Was he hiding Cora from the town for the same reason he was hiding Mara's identity from her? Was Cora really a part of this town in the future? And who was Mara to her? Her curiosity was often something that got the best of her, and now there was no one here to hold her back. Gold probably wouldn't be back until they were ready for her at the town line so she had half an hour at least. That was definitely enough time to find out who Mara really was. So, as a final show of dominance over this place and these people she left the cabin with a simple wave of her hand.

As if Gold's flimsy protection spell could hold her in this cabin, _please_.

. . .

Jennifer was stubborn at the hospital. She wouldn't let a single nurse touch her. "Just let them draw blood!" Regina insisted ridiculously as Jennifer grabbed a tourniquet and a syringe. She was following Jennifer around the ER as she grabbed supplies. The woman had even "borrowed" a lab coat so no one would stop her. It looked very~her chest heaved as her eyes raked over Jennifer, the coat billowing out behind her~ _official_.

"I don't trust them anymore. Do you know where they got their medical training? From a _curse_."

Jennifer's tone was final and harsh as she stuffed things into her coat pockets. Regina sighed up at the ceiling in the middle of a busy clinic. " _Dr_ _._ _Alexander_ _._ " That caught Jennifer's attention because she glanced at Regina over her shoulder.

"Oh. _Doctor_ Alexander? That's even more formal than _Miss_ Alexander! Are you mad at me?" She asked, motioning Regina into an empty exam room. Regina grit her teeth as she strode in furiously.

"You're just making things rather difficult. There are plenty of capable nurses out there who know how to draw blood. I'd rather _they_ tend to you than you do it yourself _cowboy_ style." She gushed, folding her arms tightly over her chest, the button down wrinkling under her touch. Jennifer eyed her calmly, a ghost of a smile quirking at her lips. " _What_?" She snapped.

"Nothing. It's just...you can call me Jennifer, you know." She glanced at Regina, searching and curiously amused. A wave of heat spread up Regina's neck. Awkwardly, she swallowed and bit the inside of her cheek. That was...far too personal. And Jennifer was leaving soon. Why bother at this point?

"Do you need me to do anything?" Regina asked instead, ignoring the question in hopes that it would just go away~or that she wouldn't have to think about it, whichever came first.

"Just one thing. I need you to tie the tourniquet around my arm." Jennifer answered before quickly setting her supplies down on the counter, washing her hands, and slapping on a pair of gloves. Regina picked up the strip of blue rubber as Jennifer slipped off the lab coat she'd stolen and hopped up on the exam table. "Just above my elbow here. And don't be shy, I need it tight. Hold on lemme pull my hair back first." Regina watched as she gathered a full head of brown curls up and tied it tight with a black ponytail holder. She'd never seen anyone with hair like hers before, and Regina, well, she liked it~a lot in fact. Every time she looked at it she saw something else, a new curl, a new shade of brown, a new way it fell across her shoulder.

Regina focused on tying the rubber band around her arm instead.

She didn't want to tie it too tight, but Jennifer insisted. She didn't want to hurt her. But she didn't say that either. After she'd tied the tourniquet for the third time, Jennifer was finally satisfied. But Regina wasn't. "I've never drawn blood before, but is that syringe sanitary?"

"First of all, it's not a syringe. It's a hypodermic needle, and this is a vacutainer. It catches the blood. Secondly, we are in an emergency room, Regina. Everything you see is sanitary." She glanced up at her. "I hope you're not squeamish."

Considering all the horrific things Regina's done in her life, being squeamish was out of the question. The only thing she truly disliked was the mess...and possibly the idea of Jennifer getting hurt. "No." Regina responded distractedly. "No, of course not." She shook her head. In the silence that followed Jennifer eyed her with a sort of morbid curiosity but didn't say anything as she held the needle up to her arm. And Regina watched as blood flowed freely into the " _vacutainer_."

"Can I ask you something?" Jennifer didn't take her eyes off her arm.

"You already did." Regina droned, her stance guarded and her brow furrowed.

"Alright, thank you, Mayor Smart Ass. I just wanted to know...is _everything_ in Henry's book true?"

"All of it." Regina confirmed. Jennifer hummed. There was a thick silence between them and Regina knew right then, her words so heavy in the air, what Jennifer was thinking. She could see it in the delicate way even the dust tiptoed around her. "I'm not... _evil_." Regina broke the silence with a soft confession, however bitter and small and angry the last note of it was. With a whispered sigh, she just barely glanced at Jennifer. "I just want my son back."

And Jennifer could feel all the hurt and anger and desperation in her tone. "I know."

"Miss Alexander~"

The silence grew as Regina choked on her words, blinking, struggling to...prove her worth. She didn't need to, not with her. Jennifer's heart clenched painfully. So she willed a joyful tone into her voice and parted her lips.

"Ah, back to _Miss_. I suppose I should just be glad it's not _Doctor_ anymore." In response, Regina rolled her eyes, but the knots in her shoulders and the breath she'd been holding were gone. Jennifer smirked as she took the needle out of her arm and clenched her fist into her shoulder. Then she used medical tape to secure a cotton ball over the vein and looked to Regina.

"Ready?" Regina asked. Jennifer separated the needle from the vacutainer and stood up with a small vial of her blood. She heaved a sigh.

"Sure."

. . .

In the next half hour Regina and Jennifer rounded up the necessary people at the town line. Actually, they had just collected Miss Swan and Gold. _Gold_ had collected Cora. He'd stowed her away somewhere when Belle came to the shop, Regina heard.

Collecting Emma was the most interesting. Jennifer had been relatively fine up until Regina mentioned that they had to inform Miss Swan. She'd swallowed and started rubbing her fingers again, back and forth, back and forth. As much as Regina could tell that Jennifer didn't want to _deal_ with Emma right now, she agreed to come.

Emma's eyes had lit up hopefully when they appeared back in the garage, a cloud of purple smoke dissipating around them. "Jenny…"

"We have to talk. Emma." Jennifer cut her off with a firm voice and wavering eyes, trying to hold herself back or possibly together. "Just... _later_." And that was that.

. . .

It was getting dark now, and the forest was particularly cold and eerie. She could _feel_ the magic being drained from her the closer she got to the town line. In places, the spell was already cracking and crumbling, exposing Storybrooke to a realm without magic, a dangerous realm that Storybrooke residents weren't equipped to navigate. An icy tendril of dread wrapped itself around her and squeezed. Doubts came spilling into her mind. What if Cora couldn't do this? What if Miss Alexander didn't believe _enough_? She tried to shake them off but the darkness of the forest held onto them for her. All she could do was tell herself that there was nothing further to be done at this point but watch and wait as if that was a comfort at all.

The air was cold and deep and empty. Cora stood closest to the town line with a protective bubble of space around her. Not even Gold got close enough to look over her shoulder. Old magic was new territory, and Cora was the master. And right now she held her spellbook in her hand, flipping through the broken words pensively.

Emma stood watching, the furthest back, her sheriff's eye scanning the crowd of evil sorcerers for any sign of wrongdoing. Gold and Regina were stoic pillars, apparently unaffected by the cold. And the only signs that they felt any trepidation at all were the identical creases in their brows and the soul deep frowns they wore. Jennifer, however, was the only one that seemed particularly lost. She shivered, out of her depth by miles and chilled to the bone in this damn night air. All she could do was hold the vial of blood and wait to be called upon.

"Blood, Jennifer." Cora demanded, hand out. She'd been trying to keep the vial cool in the night air. It was nowhere near medical standards, but Jennifer didn't think that quite mattered here. And after observing many a doctor perform many an operation, she knew that tone in her sleep. Urgent, calm, commanding. On instinct, she moved forward and set the vial in Cora's hand in one swift movement~calm, collected, eagerly obedient. " _Scalpel_." " _Scalpel_ _,_ _doctor_."

However, when Cora took her blood, opened the vial, and poured it all over the book, Gold flinched and lurched forward almost as if in physical pain. "Oh, hush, Rumple. I'm not ruining your precious book." She supplied, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. And she was right. Jennifer watched~in awe and horror~as the blood slid over the paper and formed words to fill in the blank spaces and missing sentences.

She couldn't read the words. It was a strange language, but it must have made sense to Cora because the next thing Jennifer knew she was casting the spell. She didn't know exactly what she'd been expecting but certainly not this. Light and sparks and this warm sort of... _energy_...shot from Cora's hands. Jennifer jumped and stumbled backwards. She lost her footing in the gray shadows of twilight and ran right back into Regina who let out a soft oomph. Her hair brushed Jennifer's cheek, and her thick perfume wafted forward to engulf her. There was a vice like grip on her arm as they steadied each other, and Regina's low, throaty laugh filled her ears as she turned around. "It's only magic, Miss Alexander."

Jennifer blushed and swallowed and nodded, a quick furrow in her brow. "Right, of course. How silly of me." She whispered back, hoping she sounded sarcastic, lighthearted. Regina fought a smirk, and Jennifer found herself blushing even more.

When she finally focused back on the magic, the light from Cora's hands was creating a bubble around all of Storybrooke. It reached high into the sky and spread back like pouring water over a glass table. Except it shimmered and glowed like nothing she'd ever seen in this world.

Wind shook the trees and howled through the branches and blew Cora's hair every which way. The words in the spellbook glowed and shined on Jennifer's cheeks. Then it was gone. Cora clenched her hands into fists and gasped for breath, stumbling back in her pant suit and heels. The lights in the words faded and everything was dark and still. The stars twinkled and an owl hooted and everyone at the town line was speechless.

Magic. That was... _magic_.

Regina was the first one at her mother's side to help her regain her balance. Rumple was staring at the town line critically, and Jennifer was gaping helplessly~wide eyed and open mouthed~at the empty road before her. Emma was the first to step forward. "So did it work?"

Regina's hands were tentatively ghosting over Cora's arm, but she never quite touched her. Cora took a deep breath before straightening up with the book. Her lashes fluttered; her lips parted like she'd just run a mile. "Yes." She gasped. "It worked. Your protection spell is fixed. It's stronger."

Rumple, Emma, and Regina collectively sighed in relief. Jennifer didn't quite know how to react to a situation like this. She was still in a sort of state of incredulity, frozen. Emma laughed a delirious, relieved sort of laugh, breaking the ear ringing silence. Her voice died in the acoustics of the forest around them, but it was still piercing in the emptiness. Seeing Jennifer's white face, her brow furrowed in concern though she was still smiling. "Hey, you okay? I know this is a lot to take in."

Jennifer nodded dumbly. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be okay."

"Alright, good. I…" She motioned behind her. "...have to go tell Mary Margaret and David." Jennifer nodded, blinking, not knowing what else to do. "I'm gonna go gather some people. Meet me at Granny's, alright?" Her voice was urgent and breathy, but she quickly sobered, looking at Jennifer over her lashes. "We'll talk. I promise."

As soon as Emma had left in her bright yellow beetle, Gold rounded up Cora. He exchanged a few hushed words with Regina before they were enveloped in a cloud of dark smoke. When it cleared they were gone.

This was all so _normal_ for them.

Regina turned to her.

They were on opposite ends of the street. It was pitch black out now. The sun was set, the sky was clear and twinkling, crickets were chirping. Regina's car sat just a few yards down the road.

"Congratulations, Miss Alexander. You helped save Storybrooke." She paused, taking a few steps toward her. "Granted, you were also the one to jeopardize it in the first place."

"I still don't understand, though. I mean, how did _I_ cause... _this_?"

"That's an excellent question that I don't have an answer to." She supplied honestly. She must have seen the guilt on Jennifer's face, however, because she quickly frowned. "I wouldn't dwell on it. For all we know it had nothing to do with you. It's all speculation."

Jennifer just sighed in response, scrubbing a hand down her face. "Speculation." She echoed distantly but then turned to face Regina with a shake of her head. "I can't believe I'm even speculating about magic in the first place. I mean I can see it, but it's still... _magic_!" Regina chuckled and nodded, watching as Jennifer stuck a hand in her hair. "It's surreal. It's...kinda like Cora being here, I guess." She suggested, dropping her hand as she looked to Regina who scoffed and shook her head.

"You don't know the half of it." She sighed, a tired smile in her eyes. Jennifer furrowed her brow but didn't prod. "Come on. You have a party to get to." She encouraged, ushering her towards her car.

"You're not going?"

"I don't think I'd be wanted." She admitted, trying desperately to hide the twinge of self-deprecation in her voice. Jennifer's frown deepened, keeping pace with Regina.

" _I_ want you there."

They were on opposite sides of Regina's car now. As she opened the driver's side door she looked over at Jennifer, admittedly slightly stunned at the admission. "I want you there, Regina. You deserve it. Without your help I would not have believed in time."

Regina stood with her mouth open before pressing her lips together and shaking her head dismissively. "I'm not a party person."

" _Regina_." Jennifer sighed, sliding into the car after the mayor. " _Please_?" As Regina started the car, she glanced at Jennifer out of the corner of her eye. Regina did not want to go to this party. She didn't want to go to any social events in Storybrooke at the moment. But she might be able to stand it if Jennifer was there.

"Very well."


	16. Heroes and Villains

a/n: Hello! Sorry about the late update. Part one is coming to a close soon, and I've been trying to work out the details of part two before I publish too many more chapters. Thank you again for all the feedback you've been giving me. I really do consider it while I'm writing upcoming chapters!

* * *

 _16: Heroes and Villains_

"So, uh, what were you and Mr. Gold talking about?"

They were driving down the streets of Storybrooke slowly, in no big rush to get to Granny's. In fact, they'd already added an extra half hour to their commute by going to the hospital to give back their now empty vial of blood. Well, it was actually Jennifer who insisted they drop it into one of the many medical waste bins around the hospital. She even insisted on doing it herself. Though Regina found the task unnecessarily time consuming and insignificant, Jennifer took great care in getting things done they way they should be.

Or maybe she just didn't want to face Emma.

Main street was virtually empty as they drove, and the stars were nice to look at. Her mind wandering back to what Gold said to her in the road, Regina adjusted her grip on the steering wheel.

"Cora. We're keeping her here a few more hours to make sure the spell holds."

"Makes sense."

Regina glanced at Jennifer. "I take it you're leaving tomorrow."

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's been... _interesting_...here but I have a life in New York that I have to get back to. And hopefully a job, too." She was silent for a long moment. "I'm not staying away forever, though. I don't think I _can_ despite everything with Emma. Besides, Henry's here and yo…" Jennifer blushed, cutting herself off. She took a deep breath before continuing. " _You're_ here."

Regina kept her eyes to the road on purpose. Her jaw twitched, trying to keep her face expressionless. The words rolled around in her head at a feverish pace. She _felt_ rather feverish, a wave of startled heat radiating through her. That was an odd thing to say. But if she were being honest with herself, it made her feel... _nice_...that someone cared about her.

"Anyway, you, uh, can't get rid of me that easy." Jennifer joked nervously after catching the way Regina's jaw twitched, fearing it meant displeasure. They were parked at this point but didn't make a move to get out. An empty silence filled the cramped air, and Jennifer swallowed. "Regina?" Her voice was suddenly soft, and that surprised her.

"Yes?"

"Please call me Jennifer."

Her pleading tone made the mayor stumble. "I, um, yes, I can~if you'd like." Jennifer smiled faintly, searching and warm and a little bit encouraging.

"Alright, good." Then she inhaled deeply, almost cleansing, as the light in her eyes faded. The turnaround was so absolute that Regina had to wonder if she'd smiled at all in the first place. "I suppose we should go in then."

And she was out of the car before Regina could formulate a reaction. So she followed as they walked up the patio toward the door which Jennifer held open for her. Regina shot her a quick close-lipped smile before striding in, slightly amazed she could be so gracious when all Regina would have been thinking about in that situation, having to deal with Emma, was herself.

However, when she entered Granny's that faint smile faded. Of course the Charmings were there but so was Granny, Ruby, the dwarves, Archie, and Belle. She hadn't realized that this was going to be such a small get together. She'd thought that, Snow being Snow, she'd told the entire town about the latest crisis. Apparently not. Regina could make herself disappear inside a large crowd. She couldn't do that with only fourteen other people in the room.

Thankfully, conversations continued uninterrupted except, that is, for Snow's who came walking over with a beaming smile and a thank you on her lips as she dragged Jennifer back to meet Archie and Belle~the people she saved.

And she was alone.

She didn't take off her coat. And as she walked to the counter she could hear Leroy's voice behind her.

"Who invited _her_?" He said it with such disgust that she wanted nothing more than to recoil into herself and disappear.

. . .

No sooner was Jennifer in the door than Mary Margaret had swooped in and dragged her away. "I want you to meet Dr. Hopper. He's been such a dear friend to me over the years, and he wanted to thank you in person for what you did for Storybrooke." She gushed as they approached a red headed man with thinly rimmed glasses and a sweater vest.

"Miss Alexander." He addressed with a smile, holding out his hand to shake. Jennifer was flustered, half blushing as she stumbled over her words and latched onto his hand.

"Dr. Hopper."

" _Archie_ , please." He insisted in the friendliest, most polite tone she'd ever heard.

"Oh, then please call me Jennifer." She chuckled, feeling far too formal.

" _Jennifer_ , well, I just wanted to let you know that, on behalf of Storybrooke, especially on behalf of the people who don't know what happened tonight, thank you. You're a hero."

" _Hero_?" Jennifer's voice cracked in surprise and her face heated uncontrollably.

. . .

Isolated and dejected, she had no one to talk to and nothing to do. The town loathed her. They wouldn't talk to her no matter how genuinely she tried. She would think that with so few people in the diner, some of them would be at least _forced_ to talk to her, but, no, that wasn't the case. They were incredibly good at ignoring her. So, left on the sidelines, she felt like a nothing, an outcast. And she quickly noticed that she didn't even have Henry to chat with. So, when Emma came into calling distance of Regina's perch on the bar stool as far out of the way as possible, she finally got the chance to ask where he was.

"Still grounded," was Emma's curt and distracted reply. It was rather self-evident that she didn't want to be standing here talking to Regina. She had better people to talk to. "Skipping school is not okay, and he needs to know that."

"I agree." She admitted with a small nod. Emma pressed her lips together awkwardly in response, not knowing how to end the conversation without being completely rude. Then, thankfully (for the both of them), Belle came up and took Emma away.

Regina sighed when she was gone. She fiddled with a scratch on the countertop and felt lonely and unwanted all by herself. But her back was as straight as a pin and her legs were crossed primly because god forbid she let anyone _see_ how awful she felt. She couldn't believe she'd let Jennifer drag her to this idiotic party in the first place.

She glanced up at the happy people and nearly curled her lip. Gold had told her to meet him at his shop when she was ready to say goodbye. Well, she had half a mind to just get up and walk out now. No one would see her. She wouldn't be missed.

"Need anything to drink?" The voice startled her, and she jumped a little bit as she looked to her right. Jennifer was behind the bar, leaning on the counter expectantly. Regina closed her gaping mouth and ground her jaw, shaking her head.

"You okay?" Jennifer asked curiously, her voice rising in pitch as she tilted her head.

"Just...thinking about what to say to my mother when she leaves," she lied. And it must have been obvious because Jennifer furrowed her brow.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something worthwhile," she assured, pulling a bottle of bourbon from under the counter along with two glasses.

"Oh, no, I really don't…"

" _Regina_. Imagine tonight on a scale from one to ten, and ten is the most fun you've ever had at a party. Anything below a six gets a drink." She watched as Regina thought for a moment, weighing her options, before sighing and motioning the glass towards her.

This wasn't the worst party she'd ever been too, but it was definitely in her top ten. The worst, she pondered for a moment, was probably her wedding reception. But she didn't want to think about that right now.

" _One_ drink." She relented. Jennifer smirked as she poured her a couple fingers worth, but it wasn't in jest or ridicule. It was more in understanding.

"I'd say tonight is a solid four." Jennifer muttered to herself, forcing a smile onto her face.

Regina furrowed her brow at the glimpse of something hiding under all that happiness she usually sported and wondered, rather curiously, if Jennifer hid other emotions behind her ever-present smile. "Four? This is _your party_." Regina protested, wrapping her hand around the glass as Jennifer put away the bottle.

"It's a party for a hero. They're calling me a _hero_." Jennifer leaned in, resting her elbows on the table. "Regina, I didn't _do_ anything."

"You saved the town," Regina pointed out. Jennifer glared at her skeptically.

"You could pick out any other stranger to take my place, and it'd turn out the same. If anything, they should be thanking _you_. I don't deserve the praise, and I feel like a fraud receiving it." She admitted, her voice lowering as she fiddled with her glass.

" _Jennifer_ …" Regina breathed sympathetically, her head cocked. It was the first time Regina had used her first name, and the both of them knew it. Jennifer had this look in her eyes, something incredibly intense, and Regina hesitated. Before she could manage to continue, a conversation on her left caught her attention.

 _"_ _Why is the Evil Queen even here?"_

" _You know what they say: keep your friends close and your enemies closer._ " It was a hushed conversation, but Regina could hear it, and it startled her enough to stop her in her tracks. This time Jennifer heard it too. Outraged, Jennifer moved to get in front of the bar until panic set in and, in less than the time it took for Regina's heart to restart, her hand had latched itself around Jennifer's wrist with crushing precision.

"Making a scene is not going to help anybody." Regina warned under her breath, her eyes sharp and tracking as she pulled Jennifer back down towards the counter.

"Hey, if you hadn't helped me believe then they wouldn't have a town right about now." Jennifer reminded Regina, leaning in so no one else could hear. "And those assholes should know it."

"I appreciate you trying to defend me, but I can take care of myself. They won't listen to you, anyway. I'm the Evil Queen, if you haven't noticed."

" _God_ , look, Regina, I get that you don't want anyone riled up over the Evil Queen while you're trying to win Henry back, but you can't let people walk all over you like that."

"I can if that's what it takes to get my son back." Sure the comment had hurt, but she'd grown a thick skin over the years. It was the fact that they'd said it three feet away from her like she was a nothing, nobody, washed up queen who was pathetically desperate to infiltrate the Charmings that made her mad. But there was nothing she could do. And she was willing to let the words burn under her skin if it meant she could have Henry in the end.

"All you _deserve_ is a second chance. Ever since I first met you all I've seen is a woman who wants to change. And if the rest of the town can't see that well then I guess you're just going to have to _make_ them see."

Regina's brow lifted in surprise. She didn't even realize she'd still been holding Jennifer's wrist until Jennifer placed her hand on top of Regina's. It was warm and soft and comfortable, and she hadn't felt worthy of anything, let alone a second chance, in a long, long time. "Come on, let's get outta here." Jennifer suggested, but Regina pulled her hand away.

"I should go. I have yet to deal with my mother. And I believe you're due for a heart to heart with your sister."

Jennifer sighed, running a quick hand through her hair, her eyes darting down, sideways, and back to Regina. "Yeah, well, let me walk you out." She moved out from behind the bar. "I'm not big on parties anyway." Regina gave her a skeptical glare because if she knew anything at all about Jennifer it was that she was definitely a people person, much more so than Regina. And Jennifer just smiled, gave a little shrug, and admitted to a fib without even moving her lips. "Alright, maybe just this party."

Forcing down a smirk, Regina shook her head and made her way to the door, and Jennifer jogged to catch up with her. "You know, I never got a chance to properly thank you back there." She breathed, reaching her side outside the diner. Regina was smart enough to know that Jennifer just didn't want to say goodbye. And, for now, she was okay with that. So she finally stopped at the end of the sidewalk.

She nearly laughed, too. "For _what_?"

"I don't know. Everything, I guess. You helped me believe. And I know I must have looked like a threat to you when I first came to Storybrooke, but all you've been is patient with me."

"Well, Miss Swan certainly wasn't going to be." Jennifer noticed how Regina dismissed the compliment as if she didn't deserve it.

"Oh, so you two were playing good cop bad cop then?" She chuckled, leaning against the wooden archway on the patio.

"More like Mayor-Sheriff. I have to be the clean up crew while Miss Swan comes in guns blazing." Regina drawled, and Jennifer couldn't tell if she was being funny or snide. No, she took that back. Definitely snide.

"You don't like Emma very much, do you?"

"I don't like the Charmings. And Sheriff _Swan_ is a Charming." The fact that Regina referred to them as fairytale characters in general conversation threw Jennifer for a loop. But that wasn't what mattered right now. What mattered was the fact that Regina was really good at self-deprecation.

"I want you to know that I meant what I said at the hospital. I don't think you're evil."

"Well, you're the _only_ one."

" _Regina_." Jennifer sighed. "We all have pasts. It's _right_ _now_ that matters. And if you're trying to be better for Henry then that's good in my book."

No one had ever said anything like that to Regina before. She didn't deserve it and felt lied to because of it. If she didn't think she was worth it then why would anyone else?

"Regina, look. I know I was just talking about how I didn't deserve to be a hero, but that's... _different_. A hero's a big word. Happy is...more universal. Everyone deserves happiness, especially you. _Especially you_ _._ " In Jennifer's eyes, Regina saw the pages of Henry's storybrooke and the drawings of her slaughtering villages, and shame welled up inside her. "You're not the Evil Queen anymore."

"And how would you know, Dr. Alexander?" Regina shot back. She couldn't stand to see Jennifer pity her like this so she did the only thing she could think of to protect herself. She became the Evil Queen. Her eyes shined with bloody secrets and danger, and it sent all the wrong shivers down Jennifer's spine. In fact, it scared her a little. But she held herself together because Regina needed it.

"Because if you were still the Evil Queen Emma wouldn't be here." Jennifer responded calmly. The bluntness of her statement made Regina freeze. "Not that I'm saying you need the Evil Queen to get Henry back. You won't _really_ get him back that way." Jennifer quickly added. "You'll only get the one thing that matters by being _Regina_. And that's _love_. Henry wants to love you. I know he does. You're his mother." She paused to smile. "Look, first impressions are everything, and I don't think you're all that bad. In fact, I kinda like you." She joked, nudging Regina's shoulder who couldn't help the smile that crept onto her lips. But then Jennifer's faded, her heart pounding. "I'm glad I met you, Regina. You're a good person, and I don't want you to forget that. Especially being surrounded by all these Charmings." Jennifer joked, but behind it all she was serious.

"Thank you." Regina admitted, a quick furrow in her brow, her eyes searching. "I...needed to hear that." She almost laughed, embarrassed and a little sad. But Jennifer's gaze was soft and warm, and it...soothed her a bit? Her heart pounded and her chest tightened at the realization that Jennifer could make her feel _safe_ and _calm_. How, _when_ , this had happened she didn't know, but it _scared_ her. So, naturally, she pushed it all down and forced a smile. "Good luck with Emma."

Jennifer scoffed, shaking her head. "I'll need a miracle to get through tonight." Her gaze returned to Regina's. "But thanks." They were silent for a moment, and Jennifer's breath billowed out in front of her. She was shivering. Her nose was red. And Regina frowned.

"Go back inside. It's freezing out here." Regina instructed, a tight furrow in her brow. "And try to drive _safely_ this time." Jennifer chuckled as Regina turned to walk away.

"Good luck with Cora!" Jennifer called after her. "And Regina!" The mayor glanced back at her curiously. "Don't let Henry forget that you like pistachio ice cream!" Regina couldn't help the smile that broke out onto her face as she shook her head and kept walking.

"Good _bye_ , Jennifer."


	17. Goodbye

a/n: Hey, leave a review and tell me what you think! I'm always open to (and love to hear) your suggestions, thoughts, and questions.

* * *

 _17: Goodbye_

Regina made quick work of driving to Gold's shop. And on the way she took a few deep breaths and told herself that she could do this and that this would be over in a few minutes and that then she could go home.

However, when she parked and got out of her car, she was startled by a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, turning to find Cora standing there. "You _scared_ me." Regina sighed, a hand over her heart. "What are you doing out here? Someone could _see_ you."

"No one's here." She assured, stepping forward out of the shadows. "I just wanted to talk to you without Rumple hovering over me before I go." Regina furrowed her brow, slowing to take a good look at her mother. Something was up.

"Talk about what?"

" _You_ , Regina."

Cora said it so gently. All the color drained from Regina's face, and an icy lead block dropped to the pit of her stomach. She could barely form a coherent thought, suddenly so self-conscious as Cora looked her over. "How…?"

"You were very familiar to me. But this afternoon Rumple was in a rush to get rid of me, and I had some time alone. I knew that Mara wasn't your real name. It wasn't difficult to find out the truth." She admitted.

Regina could feel the burning in the back of her throat and the pickling at her eyes as she fought tears. With a thick swallow she licked her lips and took a deep, deep breath.

"I couldn't leave without saying a proper goodbye to my daughter." Cora took a deep breath and let a small smile creep onto her lips. "That scar on your lip~it was just a few days ago that you cut yourself." Oddly enough, Regina didn't recall the incident at all. The scar was... _part_ of her. It was something she'd just always had.

"I wish I could say I remember."

"I don't think you'd want to." Cora chuckled, her eyes sparkling reminiscently. "Besides, you're~you _were_ ~quite young." Her gaze found Regina's pensively. "Henry's a charming boy. But too loving... _soft_." Regina grit her teeth and bit her tongue at her mother's blank eyes and objectively cold assessment of her little prince. Cora stepped forward, a calculated move. "I have questions."

" _One_." Regina swallowed, trying her hardest to be open minded during what Regina was sure was the last time she'd ever see her mother.

"Very well." Cora breathed, exhaling sharply through her nose, hands clasped together in front of her. "Where am I in this...new land?"

The question didn't surprise Regina at all, and she scoffed at it, shaking her head. "How... _typical_ of you, mother." Her voice was bitter and her lip curled. And she felt she had a right to react this way. After all, Cora had seen enough over the last few days to know how coldly Regina was treated in this land. Yet the only thing she cared about was her own well-being. "Do you even _care_ about what I've been going through _without_ you?" Without, for Regina, had many meanings and it seemed as though Cora had picked up on that.

"What do you want me to say, dear? I was under the impression that you could handle yourself. You've always been so fiercely independant," Cora reminded her with a shake of her head.

"Because you forced me to be, mother!" Regina shot back but quickly deflated. This conversation was going to go nowhere. She was speaking to a ghost. And her anger was nothing but a manifestation of the grievances she had with a mother that didn't even exist yet. "You...never came with us to Storybrooke. You stayed in the Enchanted Forest," Regina answered, and that seemed to satisfy Cora.

"Well, in that case I want you to know that Jennifer's good for you... _here_ , in this...new land." Cora supplied, glancing around at the cars and street lamps. "She seems to give you confidence in my absence." The comment surprised Regina.

"Good for...Mother, I've known her for a _week_. She's _leaving_." She narrowed her eyes, her chest suddenly tightening. "What are you trying to say?"

"Just that there is no use in being scared of doing what is necessary for your _son_."

Regina scoffed and turned to the sidewalk, taking a deep breath. _Necessary for her son_. How dare Cora suggest what she should and shouldn't do for _her_ son. Regina knew what she was thinking too because up until a couple days ago she had been thinking the same thing, up until Jennifer convinced her that she could get Henry back without ruining her reputation. Cora wanted her to sabotage Storybrooke and use the Evil Queen to force Henry into her arms. In fact, Cora had done the same thing when she was in Storybrooke the first time.

"I'm not scared of anything." Regina accused, curling her lip. "Not Henry or the Charmings or a surgeon from New York." She scoffed, eyeing her mother. "Why did you really do this?"

Cora sighed, taking a step back. "Because I know that you aren't fond of me, but whatever I did... _will do_...I did it because I want you to be the best you can be. Besides, it got you here. You're the leader of this town, are you not? Far cry from Queen but it's _power_."

" _Power_ , mother, I never wanted _power_. I wanted _happiness_!" She pleaded.

"Power _is_ happiness." Cora shot back coldly, eyes sharp.

"My son hates me. These people are ready to slit my throat at the drop of a hat. And I have nobody...Mother. I have no one. Power has _never_ given me happiness."

"That's not _true_. This power gave you your son."

Regina narrowed her eyes, suddenly still. "How would you know that? Did _they_ tell you that?"

"This _person_ is from your future, Regina. They know many things that you might find surprising."

Regina had had enough of Cora's cryptic messages and hidden meanings. Did she think that Jennifer could help her get her son back? Did she think that Jennifer felt the same way about power as Cora did? Whoever this person was, Regina wanted to know exactly what their intentions were. Why would they tell Cora that Regina had a family here but not in the Enchanted Forest? She had far too many questions that she knew she couldn't voice. Meddling with time was a dangerous game, and, as tempting as it was, she didn't want to play.

"I think that you should go, mother."

Cora frowned, "I'm only trying to help."

"Well, it's never quite worked out before," Regina admitted, trying to ignore Cora's attempt at sentimentality. She'd broken down once in the car with her mother and look where that got her: lied to and cheated as per usual with Cora. So she folded her arms over her chest, a protective gesture.

"You're my daughter. I do care what happens to you."

"I know you do, but I still think that you should go."

Cora sighed, disappointed, "Very well. Goodbye, Regina."

Regina's heart clenched as Cora turned to leave. She was going without a fight? Nevertheless, Regina's voice was soft and defeated when she spoke again. "Goodbye, mother."

Even when she won she felt she'd lost. She supposed that was Cora's specialty.

. . .

She didn't see Cora off into her portal. It was a trivial matter after the conversation they'd just had. Everything seemed rather trivial at the moment except, that is, for one person. With a wave of her arm she manifested herself in the entryway of the Charmings' apartment. Everyone would still be at the party so she wasn't at any risk of being thrown out.

"Mom?" Henry's voice asked from the couch. She turned and smiled softly at him.

"Hello, Henry."

"What are you doing here?" He asked, rubbing his eyes as she made her way to him.

"I wanted to see you. I just said goodbye to Cora...to your _grandmother_." She said as she sat down next to him in his pajamas.

"I'm sorry."

Regina gave him a bittersweet smile, "Me too, dear." They sat in silence for a moment before Henry folded his legs on the couch and turned to face her.

"She came to say goodbye to me too."

Regina frowned, "When?"

"Like half an hour ago. She seemed pretty nice. We were talking for a while," he offered. Immediately, frustrated and angry tears prickled at Regina's eyes. She knew that the only reason Cora had approached Henry was to get information about Storybrooke, and she abhorred the fact that her mother could be so manipulative, especially toward her own grandson. She hated that Cora cared for him so little. But, at the same time, she also found herself appreciating the fact that she was so cordial with him. And that brought more frustrated tears to her eyes because she was capable of such kindness and chose not to show it.

"Talking about what?" She gasped out, feigning curiosity.

He shrugged, "I dunno, about the Enchanted Forest. I wanted to know what it was like. And I told her stuff about what it's like here with you and me. She was curious." Henry frowned and cocked his head, suddenly seeing the tears in Regina's eyes. "Are you crying?"

"I'm just happy you got to spend a little time with her. Better time than I had." She breathed, resting a gentle hand on his back. And he let her.

. . .

Jennifer went back inside after Regina left, furiously rubbing her arms in the cold night air. She could see her breath for christ's sake. She supposed she was just particularly sensitive to the cold, always had been. Emma used to tease her about it.

It'd be winter somewhere ridiculous like Minnesota, and Jennifer would shake like a leaf inside the drafty rooms of some forgotten group home. Her feet would freeze through thick socks, and her nose would turn ruby red. But sometimes at night when Emma was feeling generous she would let Jennifer slither in next to her, Emma would wrap them in blankets, and she would feel warm and safe and loved.

She chatted with people the rest of the night, half distracted, stealing casual glances Emma's way. She was talking with Mary Margaret and David. Her parents.

"You okay?" Ruby's voice shook her out of her thoughts. She blinked.

"Yeah," she nodded, setting down her tumbler. Her voice oddly cropped and curiously avoidant, and Ruby saw right through her. So she just stared at her, waiting. Ruby had a way about her. She didn't even have to say anything. She didn't even have to look at her any differently. Jennifer could just feel her concern in the air. "It's just a...thing between Emma and me."

"Are you guys fighting? I noticed you aren't talking." Though Ruby's voice was gentle, Jennifer wanted to curl into herself and disappear. This is what she was afraid of. Questions.

"Yeah, you know, I don't really wanna talk about it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I don't mind." She paused, searching. "So you and Mayor Mills seem close."

"She's not all that bad once you get to know her."

"I suppose."

"Do you still see her as the Evil Queen?" Jennifer asked delicately.

Ruby sighed, "It's hard not to," she shrugged. "You never knew her in the Enchanted Forest, but she lived up to her name."

"What did she do?"

And Ruby told her. There were few details, but there were dozens of second hand accounts of how her opulence was fueled at the expense of the peasantry, leaving good people destitute. There were stories of cruelty and murder and curled lips in the face of the slums she created. She kept her kingdom running smoothly, but she had no regard for the concerns of the poor in the countless villages affected by her ridiculous taxes. Finally, Ruby talked about her cruelty toward Snow White and how the Kingdom banded together to protect her from the Queen when she was driven away from the castle and her title as princess. Jennifer already knew that Regina cast the Dark Curse because of something Snow White did, but the reason behind it wasn't in Henry's book. And Ruby didn't know either.

. . .

After she and Emma had said goodnight to Mary Margaret and David, the last two to leave Granny's that night, she immediately confronted Emma, not wanting any silence between them because then she'd have time to worry about how badly this could go.

"I can't…" The words echoed, self-assured, in the diner then died back on her tongue, and she was surprised by how unsure she sounded at the end. "Accept your apology."

Emma's face went pale. It was like someone just punched her in the gut. "Why not?" She asked, panicked. And suddenly, to Emma, Jennifer felt like a stranger. It was as if a part Emma's past had been torn away.

"Because you said it when the town needed it not when you believed it." Jennifer felt more confident now, and her voice stayed strong. Emma's whole body frowned, confused. And then she straightened, horrified at the very idea, it seemed.

"That's not true, though," she protested, but she sounded weak, her eyes darting, formulating.

"Emma, just stop," Jennifer laughed, breathy. It was ridiculous now. And Jennifer was getting angry. Emma languished silently, searching for something better to say than I'm sorry. "Do you remember when we were…" She hesitated, thinking, remembering, a picture sharpening in her mind. "Eleven. I was new in the system, and we were living with that couple. The one with the shag carpet that always smelled like tobacco and dust. They had those disgusting yellow walls. I always called it puke yellow. But then one day she heard me. And she started going off on me. She told me I was ungrateful, and she yelled until she was blue. And I cried until I couldn't breathe anymore and my fingers started tingling and I couldn't... _see_." She watched as Emma remembered. "You had two options that day." Jennifer continued. "You could have stayed quiet, or you could have told her all the shit I used to say about her and _saved_ yourself. What did you do?"

"I kept quiet." Emma's voice was hoarse.

"Yeah, and do you remember what happened?" They didn't have to say it. They didn't _want_ to say it. Emma still had a nasty scar on the back of her shoulder from when their foster mom shoved her into the corner of a table. Jennifer still had the crescent shaped white line on her wrist when she grabbed her and pulled her close and dug her nails into the soft, pale skin there, threatening her to make sure she didn't tell. Her nails were stained yellow, and Emma was whimpering on the floor, bleeding on the shag carpeting that they ended up ripping out the very next day. Emma had needed stitches, looking back Jennifer knew that. But they never took her to the hospital. And she and Emma were young. They were too scared to do anything but make do in the night with rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, and tape.

"You spared me that day~at your own expense." Jennifer told her. "You were... _incredibly_ selfless, and I am so appreciative." Then her voice got dark and low. "But apologizing to me today was selfish. You did not really care about my feelings. You only cared about how this would turn out for _you_." She paused, her eyes cold. "There were other ways to appeal to me." The diner was stale and heavy and Emma couldn't look her in the eye anymore. "You~" She sighed, frustrated. "You could have talked about Storybrooke and Henry and all the people that would have been affected by that... _fucking_ protection spell!" Jennifer's arm was outstretched as if they were all standing right there. "But you didn't. You...lied to me because it was the easiest thing you could think of."

"Jennifer, that's not true!"

"Then tell me the truth!" She shouted back, tears prickling at her eyes. Emma's face fell, a cold anger now.

"Fine. Here's the truth. I think you're being a selfish asshole." She held up her arms helplessly, a frustratingly arrogant look on her face. "From the bottom of my heart, Jennifer, if I had to do it again I would never have just disappeared like that. But I can't apologize with you wishing that my son had never been born!"

"I have _never_ said that."

"You say it every time you wish I would have stayed! I get that you're upset, okay? You have a right to be. And I'm sorry that I made you feel like that. Really, I am. But Henry is my _son_. It doesn't matter that I gave him up for adoption. He has affected so many lives, touched so many people. He is a wonderful human being, and I would not trade him for anything let alone your _shitty_ attitude." She was dark and angry and red and a vein was popping in her neck.

"Look, when you told me, right over there in that booth with a glass of lemonade, why you weren't apologizing I understood, okay? I understood that you couldn't regret leaving because of Henry. And I'm sorry if I made you feel like he isn't important to me. He is. I mean, god, he's your _son_. I _understand_ , Emma." She paused, wanting that to sink in.

"But before you explained any of that you tried to excuse how you acted by claiming it was a stupid teenage fuck up. You said you didn't realize how leaving might have _made me feel_ _._ " Jennifer mocked. "How would _you_ have felt, Emma? And, Jesus, you knew what my aunt and uncle did! You're _just_ like them." There was silence. "God, you couldn't even say the actual words until it was beneficial to _you_. Even now. All I want is something genuine. Emma. I don't want you to apologize for the existence of your son. I want you to apologize for not saying goodbye. That much I deserve."

"Alright." Emma protested weakly, wanting this to end. "Alright." She moved back into a bar stool, sitting down. She looked drained, and she rested her forehead in a hand that was propped up on her knee. Jennifer felt her own knees going. She felt tears well back up in her eyes and sat down in a booth. Her hand covered her mouth, and they were silent, only the whirring of the ice machine to keep them company.

Jennifer could see the way it all went through Emma's head. And she could see exactly when Emma opened her mouth. And she knew exactly what was about to come out. "Don't say it now." Jennifer's voice was pained, exhausted.

 _Thirteen years of absolute shit._

And it all came down to this. Silence.


	18. The Evil Queen

_18: The Evil Queen_

"How are your ribs feeling?" Mary Margaret asked in the warm morning sun. She and David and Henry and Emma had come to see Jennifer off that morning.

She shrugged, "Little sore still. I'll live."

"I'm glad. After all, it certainly has been an experience, hasn't it?" Mary Margaret chuckled then smiled softly. "Thank you, again, for helping our town."

"Thank _you_ for getting me to the hospital." Jennifer responded, but Mary Margaret dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

"Anyone would have done the same. Besides, it was wonderful to have met you, Jennifer. And I'm so glad you and Emma were able to work out your differences." She wore a perpetual expression of delight. It didn't bother her as much as it would have Regina, but she did find it mildly annoying. She wondered, rather absently in the moment, how someone could possibly be so happy all the time.

She was saved from having to lie to her by Henry rolling her suitcase to the car from her hotel room. "Hey, thanks, bud. Can you put it in the trunk for me?" He nodded, and she talked as he worked. "I left your story book with Emma, alright? Thanks for showing it to me. It helped a lot; I just wanted you to know." Henry beamed as he arrived at her side. "But no more skipping school," she warned sternly.

"I won't. Not if it means missing any more parties," he affirmed with a smile, and she chuckled.

"Hey! You know, I forgot. Did you ever figure out why I was meant to come to Storybrooke?" She asked, recalling their first conversation. Now knowing what she knew about Storybrooke, part of her wondered if his comments had any merit.

"Not yet, but I will," he promised eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. She smiled fondly and ran a hand over his hair.

"Sounds like a plan," she chuckled before pulling him into a hug. Henry was a good kid and very perceptive but still, when everything was said and done, just a kid who made mistakes and had crazy theories to go along with even crazier imaginations.

When she pulled away from Henry she turned to Emma. "You've got my number." Emma nodded in response. "Don't...hesitate to call or anything," she supplied awkwardly.

"Same to you," Emma offered, not exactly knowing what to say, the tension still palpable between them. Thankfully, they were both mature enough to be civil. Then suddenly Jennifer scrunched her nose and closed her eyes painfully. She knew she'd forgotten something.

"Can you do me a favor actually? Can you give Regina my number?"

"Regina?" Emma frowned, taking a step backwards.

"Yeah, if you haven't noticed we weren't exactly mortal enemies this past week or so," Jennifer joked.

"You do remember that she's the Evil Queen, right?"

Jennifer sighed, exasperated. Despite her conversation with Ruby last night, Jennifer still stood by what she said to Regina. She's not that person anymore. At least from what Jennifer's seen. "Look, can you just give her my number?"

"Alright, fine." Emma clenched her jaw, feigning neutrality. As Jennifer got in her car and shut the door, Emma bent down and rested her arms in the open window. "Just don't...let her manipulate you," Emma breathed, knowing how good Regina was as getting what she wanted, no matter how much collateral damage she created.

"Emma, I~"

"I _know_ ; I just...worry about you."

"I'm a big girl now," Jennifer droned back immediately, but she was a little surprised at her concern. Apparently, somewhere beneath all this insanity, Emma still cared for her.

With a corner of her lip pulling up into a smile, Emma backed away from the car window. But there was a heaviness behind her eyes that Jennifer knew well, and it tugged painfully at her chest. After all, worrying was just another form of _I love you_.

. . .

The next afternoon, Emma's lunch was interrupted by a text from Jennifer. _Got home safe. Remember to give Regina my number._

Right.

That night, before she headed home, she stopped at Regina's house. She felt like a foreigner walking up to that big white mansion in her grungy red leather jacket and uncouth jeans. She wasn't afraid or intimidated, but she had learned to be cautious. She didn't exactly hate the mayor; she just didn't trust her or... _like_ her either. Maybe the right word was pity. She pitied Regina. Between death threats and the stone cold walls she put up, Emma felt sorry for her, sorry that she felt she had to be this way all the time. It just seemed exhausting.

What exactly Jennifer thought was so appealing about Regina was beyond her. Either way, she wasn't about to break a promise to Jennifer. Not now. So, she knocked. Regina answered the way she always answered the door, like she'd been interrupted from something monumentally important and _none of_ _her_ _business_. "Sheriff?"

Quickly, Emma pulled the crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. "Jenny wanted me to give this to you." Regina snatched the paper and raised her brow as her eyes scanned the note. "It's her phone number."

"Yes, Miss Swan, I do have the ability to read." She snapped. It did say "Jenny's phone" right on the paper. But then, as if a wave had washed over the mayor, Emma could physically see her shoulders relax. "I'm sorry. Thank you...for this." Her eyes briefly flickered to Emma's with a hint of an emotion Emma had never seen on the mayor: humility. Then it was gone. "Have a good evening, Sheriff." And the next thing she knew the door was swinging closed.

 _End of Part One_

* * *

a/n: Part Two's going in a little different direction, still working out the kinks, but look for a new character and a reworking of season three!


	19. Birdie

_Part Two_

 _19: Birdie_

She came here often for lunch. It was a little restaurant across from the hospital where she worked. She knew the place well, and she knew Valerie's face like the back of her hand, so Jennifer spotted her right away in the window. Biting her lip, she knocked on the glass. Valerie turned, startled, and then her face lit up and she waved. As soon as Jennifer walked in the door, before she could even think about calling her name, Valerie pushed her chair back, stood up, and grinned. Jennifer couldn't help but smile back as she weaved through tables, and Valerie nearly met her halfway she was so excited.

"Birdie! God, I feel like I haven't seen you in years!" Valerie moved forward and wrapped her in a tight, warm hug as soon as she got close enough. Jennifer just laughed into her shoulder. Val was always the dramatic one. Though she kind of missed her flair for the theatrical, and she definitely missed being called Birdie.

. . .

They'd met during Jennifer's sophomore year of undergrad at a tattoo parlor. She'd only been 19, she'd been getting her finch tattoo at the time, and Val had been there with a pretty brunette that Jennifer never saw again. She remembered Val catching Jennifer's eye and sauntering over to her, eyeing the tattoo critically. She acted as if she had nothing better to do, as if there wasn't a girl waiting for her just across the room. It had been one of Jennifer's first tattoos, and tears were welling in her eyes from the pain. Val was older than her. Jennifer had been able to tell just by the way she held herself, so cocky and confident. She wasn't new to everything like Jennifer was. Though, just getting out of the foster system the year before, she supposed she'd gotten off to a bit of a late start. Either way, the amused smile that curved at the corner of Val's lips told Jennifer that she could tell how inexperienced she was.

"Hey, Birdie," she'd said, her voice musing and high, "you look like you're in pain." Jennifer sniffled and gasped out a laugh.

"How could you tell?"

And the name had just kind of stuck all these years.

. . .

"We saw each other four months ago, Val," Jennifer reminded her, unamused. Val was wearing a long, black overcoat and her ridiculously red hair was down to her elbows now. Last time she'd seen Val, she'd been going through a curly hair faze and had gotten a perm. Now it was back to its naturally straight self (with bangs this time). She wore ruby red lipstick and blush on her high, delicate cheekbones. Val had a rather fragile looking face, easily shatterable, but she was a lot tougher than she looked, and she could flip her expression on a dime and then laugh like she wasn't as fickle as the weather. And she was absolutely crazy. Maybe that's why they got along so well all these years. Jennifer kept her sane, and Val kept her life a little bit exciting.

"Then it's been a hell of a four months, and I'm tired of not seeing your face every week," Val said pointedly, purposefully distracted by her napkin as they sat down across from each other. Val had a way of taking everything remotely emotional and detaching herself from it. She wasn't emotionless, she just didn't like the vulnerability that came with, well, life. In all honesty, Jennifer didn't think that Val couldn't handle it.

"What? Tired of Paris already?" Jennifer teased. She had known this woman for the last ten years of her life, so she knew that if Val didn't move to the opposite end of the earth every single damn year she would drive herself insane.

"I wouldn't be so tired of it if you'd let me sweep you off your feet and actually take you there!" Val protested.

"You know I don't have time to take a vacation."

"Right, not _now_! Not after your emergency leave in _Maine_ ," Val drawled, but she wasn't actually annoyed. Despite rarely seeing each other, they communicated often. "Tell me about your adventures. What happened?" she encouraged, calm and attentive as she leaned back in her chair. Jennifer sighed and glanced up, thinking.

"Do you remember me telling you about Emma?" she said hesitantly, cautiously.

"Emma... _Swan_?" Jennifer nodded, and Val sat forward, laughing, a wide, open mouthed grin on her face. "Your _sister_? Good god, woman. She was in Maine? How did you find her?"

"I didn't!" Jennifer exclaimed, sitting forward. "She just happened to be there! And she has a son now."

"You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not. It's an absolutely ridiculous coincidence. I don't understand it. But, you know, at the time, it didn't matter because I was so _happy_ _,_ at least at first. Then we just fought the entire time I was there, and I just…" She curled her lip. "You know what, I don't want to talk about Emma right now," she dismissed, glancing down, and Val knew not to push her too hard because then she'd shut down or, god forbid, start crying. Val knew when Jennifer was about to cry. She'd seen enough of it over the years.

"Then who _do_ you want to talk about?" Val asked delicately because there was definitely something that Jennifer wasn't telling her. "Birdie, look at me. I know you. You have got _something_ on your mind."

She glanced down, shaking her head, dismissive, downplaying. "There was this...woman there."

And Val's eyes immediately lit up. She gasped loudly and scrunched her nose and leaned forward, fighting a grin. "Jennifer Irene Alexander." It was a surprised exclamation, wonderment and joy sparkling in her eyes. "There is _always_ a woman." Her voice was breathy, and Jennifer chuckled, shoving her back into her seat lightly. Val laughed openly as she eyed Jennifer up and down and watched as she folded her arms shyly. "Tell me all about her."

"Well, she's the mayor of this...little town. She's _uninterested_ , and she's also Emma's son's~ _Henry's_ ~adoptive mother."

Val raised her brow, her head jerking up slightly. " _Oh_."

"Yeah." Jennifer sighed, a painful little smile on her lips. Val watched her carefully, her eyes narrowed critically. She was using her appraiser's eye on her Birdie.

"How do you know she's uninterested?" she prodded.

"Because she's _straight_. I don't know I just know," Jennifer dismissed, trying to sound flippant.

Val shook her head, her face contorted. "Oh, don't give me that bullshit. You just don't think it'll happen so you're _making_ it impossible," she leaned forward again. "I mean, for goodness sake, it's like you're 19 all over again. Paralyzed in the back of the closet or~!" she exclaimed, looking Jennifer over then stopped and sighed. "Look, honey, you just have to give her something to work with."

"So you think I just wasn't, what, flirting enough? Do I not look gay enough for you?" Jennifer laughed.

"All I'm saying is you can't be afraid to put yourself out there. She might not make a move if she doesn't think you want it."

"Have you ever thought that I might do the same?" Jennifer protested. Val groaned.

"Oh mon dieu! Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait!" she protested right back in frustration.

"Your French is good. Your accent needs work," Jennifer drawled, arms folded, leaning far back in her chair. "Et tu as seulement trois ans de plus que moi, _chérie_. Besides," she sighed, "she's Henry's _mom_. He's eleven so it's not like I can escape her for, what, at least another seven years? And if we didn't, you know, work out it would just be...miserable. For everyone."

Val hummed, "Well, you know what I would do."

"Don't you mean _who_?" Jennifer intoned, and Val just smirked.

"What can I say? La vie est courte. Et tu es stupide, _chérie_." She mocked, an amused smile tugging at her lips as she searched Jennifer's expression for a hint of that spontaneity Val knew Jennifer seriously lacked in her life. Yes, she knew how to have fun, and she knew how to let go once and awhile, but she had no idea what it meant to take a damn risk. She always played it safe, and sometimes it drove Val to the brink of insanity. Seeing nothing but stubbornness on Jennifer's face, Val sighed and glanced calmingly out into the brisk autumn air before meeting her eyes again. "Regina is an interesting name. Tell me why it _would_ work. What's she like?"

Jennifer laughed once, her brow furrowed. _Really?_ And when she realized that Val was dead serious she scoffed and sighed, shaking her head. "This is ridiculous. _You_ are ridiculous. Every time we get together…"

"Jennifer, for once in your life would you just _indulge_ yourself?" Val pleaded, and she watched as Jennifer sighed, thinking, before grabbing her hair and roping it into a ponytail.

" _Fine_." She shifted in her seat and took a sip of her drink. "She is...very beautiful." The statement was said like a grocery list, almost reluctant, almost cookie cutter, but Val stayed silent because Jennifer was quickly drifting someplace...else, her brow furrowed momentarily, an amused, wonderful little half laugh escaping her lips. "See, she's got this hair...it's…" She searched for _something_ to compare it to. "Do you remember when you took me to Santa Monica and we swam in the ocean right after sundown? It was deep and dark and silky and you could...lose yourself." Jennifer's gaze met hers quickly and stayed there for a delirious moment before looking away. "She has this jawline and gorgeous cheekbones and a scar on her lip and her eyes are...heavy. They're incredibly expressive. They just weigh on you, they ensnare you, and it's like the entire world just...falls away. I don't know. She's just so beautiful," she shook her head. "And, jesus, she is ridiculously polite. More like _regal_ , really. Pin straight. I honestly don't know how she does it, but I admire her discipline. I certainly don't have as much."

"More disciplined than you?" Val laughed. "I didn't think it was possible!" Jennifer smiled.

"It's more like a front she puts up. She's not always like that. She's very sensitive, I think," Jennifer admitted then shook her head. "But she's also snarky as hell and funny, and it's like Chanel crafted her perfume specifically for her skin. And when she laughs I feel like I've just done something so exceptional and perfect I just~I mean she's so...she doesn't seem...real."

Jennifer's voice hung in the air even after she stopped talking, a fascinating picture of Regina forming in Val's mind. And Jennifer seemed a little flustered, a blush forming in her freckled cheeks, like all these details were only now being articulated into something concrete. Val saw it in her eyes. She didn't blame her. Jennifer liked all that emotional crap. Val didn't.

"She sounds...like everything good," Val told her. "And if that's not motive enough then I'd like to remind you that scars are sexy." Val sighed, laughing. And Jennifer rolled her eyes, her cheeks turning even darker. "Besides, I'm sure she'd enjoy yours as much as you enjoy hers. And your tattoos, for that matter," she pointed out, leaning forward. Her gaze softened, and she bit her lip. "I know _I_ enjoyed them, at least."

"That was a long time ago, Val," Jennifer reminded her.

"And you didn't have as many tattoos then."

" _No_ ," Jennifer drawled, leaning forward, an answer to a silent question. And Val just pursed her lips, fighting a smile.

When they finished lunch Val walked her to her car. They'd mostly talked about Paris after that, all her adventures and women and art deals. Jennifer had never been to the city of love despite French being a second language for her. Val had always threatened to take her but every time she insisted Jennifer declined. Val was never exactly sure why.

"I'll be in town for the next few weeks. We should meet up again soon," Val suggested. Being an art dealer took Val all over the world, and though she was based in New York, most of her business took place elsewhere.

"It's a date," Jennifer smiled. Val smiled too, but she had an odd look in her eyes, thoughtful, almost curious. Jennifer parted her lips to ask but before she could get a word out Val's lips covered hers. Surprised, Jennifer raised her brow, and her eyes slid closed as Val cupped her jaw with solid hands. And she kissed her back. For a while. Soft and slow, the beginning of something fast and heavy if she let it go that far. Val tasted like cherry lip balm, and she smelled like something foreign and exciting. She always did. But it wasn't the same this time. It was flatter, emptier. "Hmm." She wrenched her eyes open as Val's tongue ran along the underside of her upper lip. "Val…" She grabbed her arms and pushed her away. Gently. She licked her lips as Val smiled, her lipstick smudged.

"Not too long ago you would have pushed me up against this car and shoved your hand between my legs," Val breathed. Jennifer refused to react, and Val gasped out a laugh in response. "You are really stuck on this woman, aren't you?" Jennifer swallowed, a flush rising to her cheeks again. "You need to go after her, or you are going to be this miserable _for the next seven years at least_ ," Val mocked then smiled as Jennifer clenched her jaw.

"Why did we stay friends again?" Jennifer wondered, blinking, but not actually mad, not really.

"Because I'm the only one who can tell you when you're being stupid." Val smirked before leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead. " _You're being stupid, Birdie_."

* * *

a/n: Here are the French translations if you need them.

"Oh mon dieu! Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait!" ~ This directly translates to "Oh my god! If youth knew, if old age could!" which is just the French expression for "youth is wasted on the young."

"Et tu as seulement trois ans de plus que moi, _chérie_." ~ "And you are only three years older than me, darling."

"La vie est courte. Et tu es stupide, _chérie_." ~ Life is short. And you're stupid, darling."

Let me know what you think of Val!


	20. Emma

a/n: Hey, sorry for the late update. Just wanted to say a quick thank you to the people who reviewed anonymously. Since I can't PM you, this is me thanking you directly!

 **Also, if you haven't read _Cora, The First_ yet, you should read it before you read this chapter.**

* * *

 _20: Emma_

Snow and Charming had asked Regina five times in the last two days if maybe the protection spell hadn't been recast properly. Each time, Regina rolled her eyes and said no. She and Gold had checked in the days following Cora's departure. It was perfectly intact. Which was exactly why everyone was so suspicious. One could only find Storybrooke if one knew how to find it. And the only people who knew how to find it were people who had magic (with the rare exceptions being Henry and Jennifer). Mr. Mendell claimed to be a victim of circumstance, but she wasn't buying it.

And Gold was no help in the matter. He was currently a little preoccupied with _Lacey_ and Captain Hook who'd come out of the shadows to take another stab at his Crocodile.

No one had seen him since Gold tried to leave town the first time. Regina suspected he'd been hold up in his ship, celebrating his supposed victory or what have you. She was positive Rumple had known where he was too, but with the quick succession between the first Cora and Jennifer he hadn't had much of an opportunity to finally rid the world of the one handed wonder.

She didn't particularly care about the feud between Gold and Hook. It was far too old and uninteresting for her. The problem right now was containing Greg Mendell.

This mess hadn't necessarily started when Gold decided to leave Storybrooke again, but it had certainly been complicated by it. He was desperate to find his son, she'd heard. Apparently he figured he could leave faster than Hook would realize he was still alive. That idea fell apart when the pirate showed up at the town line that night. Except this time it was Belle who got pushed over the line. Then Hook ended up getting hit by Greg Mendell's speeding car, and Gold walked away without a scratch. Now all three were all in the hospital, and Gold was more determined than ever to find his son. He was a different person with _Lacey_ , too. More of an asshole because he was bending over backwards to make her happy. It disgusted her, really, what people will do for love.

The whole town was going to hell, and all she found herself focusing on was Jennifer. Having her here was one of the most interesting things that had happened to Storybrooke in a long while. And, to be perfectly honest, the town was colder without her. She missed how Jennifer could make her smile and how she made her feel like a person and not a legend. Regina enjoyed her company, yet she still hadn't contacted her. It had been at least a week since she'd left now. The problem was that it had just been so hectic that she hadn't had time...

No. That was a lie. That was a _lie_.

The thing was that Henry was still staying at Emma's. He hadn't slept over yet, and no one quite trusted her with him. They drilled their prejudices into this town so thoroughly that it simply became fact. She didn't even trust _herself_ with him anymore because of the Charmings. Honestly, she was scared. She thought that she was going to do something rash like always. That she was going to jeopardize her already fragile relationship with Henry~with _Jennifer_.

She picked up the crumpled piece of paper and stared at the number Emma had given her. The interaction had been sort of awkward, actually. Emma had knocked on her door the evening after Jennifer left. She had on a fake smile and an awkward bounce in her step. Regina had watched curiously as Emma handed her a folded piece of paper. "Jenny wanted me to give this to you. It's her phone number."

Regina's heart, as much as she hated it (and she'd certainly never admit it), skipped a beat. Quickly, she grabbed the paper and glanced at it. Then she snapped at Emma, mostly out of embarrassment at her own reaction.

She remembered thanking Emma in an effort to he cordial. She vaguely remembered the sheriff eyeing her suspiciously, almost critically, before she shut the door in the other woman's face.

She didn't care. She was too preoccupied with the ten digits on an otherwise blank, half crumpled piece of notebook paper. What was she supposed to say? Were there expectations? She didn't know how to navigate the formalities of this world. She'd never really had to. She was the mayor of a fictional town with people who never dared to cross her. She could have done whatever the hell she wanted, and they wouldn't have said a word edgewise. But it was different now. Jennifer wasn't from Regina's world.

But it's not like she couldn't handle it, right? She was a queen for christ's sake. She sighed, bitter frustration burning in her throat as she pressed two fingers deep into her temple and rubbed the area in slow, vertical movements. God, who was she kidding? She almost laughed, throwing down her hand. She couldn't even handle the responsibility of her own son!

 _"_ _You're a good person, and I don't want you to forget that. Especially being surrounded by all these Charmings."_

Jennifer's words tumbled around in her head. She had read Henry's story book, but that didn't reveal much about what life was truly like in the Enchanted Forest. She knew almost nothing about Regina, yet she believed in her so faithfully. Regina didn't understand it, but she did appreciate it. And so, before she could convince herself otherwise, she opened her phone and started a new message.

 _Sheriff Swan gave me your phone number as promised._

She felt stupid and juvenile for sending it and sighed heavily up at the ceiling, letting her eyes fall closed as a hot wave of embarrassment washed over her.

Her phone buzzed. _Shit_.

 _Regina! Glad you texted. How are you?_

She had to read it three times before she really processed what it said.

 _Fine, I suppose. A lot has happened since you left._

 _Like what?_

Regina did not want to text Jennifer the entire situation between Gold and Belle and Hook and Greg. It was just too much. So, with a deep breath, she called her. It rang for a few seconds then she heard the click of a connection.

"Some crazy stuff must be going down for it to take a phone call to explain it to me," Jennifer chuckled on the other end.

"It's been rather...hectic," Regina decided on, folding a leg over the other on her couch. "Do you know who Captain Hook is?"

. . .

When Regina was finished explaining what was happening, Jennifer was quiet. Wiping Belle's memory was a cruel fate, and Jennifer was almost glad that Hook's ribs were broken from Mendell's car. But she was confused, too.

"So, now what?"

Regina sighed audibly on the other end of the line.

"I don't know," she ground out. "Gold is set on leaving Storybrooke, but he doesn't seem too concerned about Mendell. The Charmings are _panicking_ , but they have no idea what to do about it." Regina shook her head. "How are you and Emma doing?"

"Not talking. I told her to apologize when she means it, and she hasn't called so..."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too," Jennifer sighed.

"Do you mind me asking what exactly happened between you two?" Regina had been wondering for awhile, and she decided that maybe now was the right time to ask.

"No, I don't mind. You remember me telling you that I lost my parents?"

"Yes."

"Well, I was ten when it happened, and I was...in the car with them when it crashed," she admitted softly then cleared her throat and continued on quickly. "I didn't expect many of my relatives to step up and take me in. My dad's side, they were all assholes. And I didn't see much of my mom's side. Most of them still lived in France. Except for my Aunt Kate and Uncle Lance. They could have taken me, _raised_ me," she heaved a sigh. "But they chose not to, and I never saw them again after my parents' funeral."

"Jennifer, I'm so sorry." Regina's brow was furrowed tightly. She couldn't imagine…

"Thanks." There was a small pause on the other end. "Anyway, Emma and I were placed in foster care together. She was a friend when I really needed it, and she quickly became family. She was my _only_ family as far as I was concerned. Then when we were sixteen, one night, she just left. She'd mentioned leaving, _escaping_ more like it. I hadn't thought that she was serious until one morning I woke up and she was just... _gone_. No goodbye. Nothing." Jennifer tried to be dispassionate, but Regina could feel the pervasive sadness in her tone just under the surface. "I hated her for leaving, but I hated her even more for doing it despite knowing about Kate and Lance. I suppose I still do."

Regina was silent for a long moment on the other end, thinking about what to say. She didn't know if there was anything she _could_ say that would smooth over the pain that Jennifer must be feeling. "Miss Swan is and always has been a selfish woman no matter how much she tries to disguise it as altruism."

"Is that supposed to be encouraging?" Jennifer droned, amusement lacing her voice. But underneath, Regina could feel the pain there. She was so good at hiding behind a smile.

"It's supposed to be a little dose of reality," Regina pushed, her voice level. "Jennifer…" Then she bit the inside of her cheek and blinked, suddenly hesitant to say what she'd intended. "People _will_ hurt you whether it be by accident or...purposeful. At some point, if you want to survive, you just can't let them anymore," she told her delicately.

"Is that what you did? You just pushed everyone away?" Her voice was more curious than accusatory, gentle rather than malicious. And Regina had to consciously tell herself that in order to keep from lashing out at Jennifer, a knee jerk reaction.

"Yes." She swallowed, her jaw twitching. Jennifer was quiet.

"I can't~"

"I don't expect you to," Regina rushed. She felt ridiculous, her face heated. "I _expect you_ to protect yourself."

"To let Emma go, you mean." Jennifer clarified too quickly, and Regina shook her head.

"You make it sound~"

"Easy?"

"I was going to say _unfeeling_ ," Regina sighed, shifting on her couch uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," Jennifer admitted. "It's just hard to think about cutting ties with her. She's the only real family I have left."

Regina, of all people, understood that feeling. "But you must know that you're only hurting _yourself_."

"For now."

Regina sighed, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward. She rested her forehead in the palm of her hand and closed her eyes, trying to contain her frustration. Jennifer hid it well, but she was hurting. And everyday that she continued to believe in Emma's integrity was another day of self-inflicted pain.

"Look, I know you don't _understand_ _,_ but I have faith in her."

"I know," Regina breathed, sitting up straighter again.


	21. On Call

_21: On Call_

The next few days after Regina called Jennifer were tense but uneventful. Greg was still in Storybrooke, and, from what she'd heard, Gold was revving up to leave town which meant that Hook was in danger. Outside of Storybrooke, Gold was defenseless, an easy target. He needed to eliminate any possible threat to his life. And Hook was vulnerable at the hospital. Besides that, Gold just wanted to be rid of him in general. The pirate knew it, too. So, as much as it pained him, he asked Emma for protection while he was healing. Emma, ever the Charming, couldn't in good conscience let him die. So, despite how much she disliked him, she asked Regina to cast a protection spell.

"Why should I protect Captain Hook?" Regina asked Emma in the same hallway that Jennifer had stolen her damn " _vacutainer_." Emma sighed, shifting from foot to foot, her thumbs latched under her belt loops. Regina's stubbornness exhausted her sometimes.

"Because he doesn't deserve to die," she said plainly, as if that was the only explanation anyone could ever need. Or as if the Evil Queen had any concept of decency.

"Let me rephrase it in a way that even a Charming should understand: why should I _care_ if he dies?" Regina enunciated, leaning forward. It was a challenge designed to make Emma frustrated and irrational, a petty blow, really. Truth be told, Regina didn't mind casting the spell. She had no strong feelings either way for Hook. But after hearing about what Emma had done~ _was doing_ ~to Jennifer, she felt an obligation to be particularly difficult with her.

Emma bristled at Regina's jab. "Because it'll be your fault," she told her firmly, her words hanging heavily in the air, echoing back in her head. "Look, if something happens to Hook because you didn't cast that protection spell, everyone will know. _Henry_ will know. If you won't do it to save a life, at least do it for yourself."

Though Emma's voice was cold, she made it sound like Regina had a choice, like Emma was _helping_ her. She looked ever so innocent, too, with her lips pressed together and her brow raised. God, she actually _believed_ it! Regina nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all as a hard lump formed in her throat. She almost couldn't believe that Emma was capable of this kind of manipulation. She swallowed as reality set in, her eyes burning with angry tears. Emma was still waiting for a response. Oh, she'd give her a response. Quickly, Regina's lip twitched up into a snarl, her eyes glistening as they lowered. Then she forced a grimace onto her face.

"You're not as Charming as I thought you were, Miss Swan." Her words were icy, dripping with contempt. Emma stood up straighter, hiding her sudden uncertainty behind a firm mask. Wordlessly, Regina raised her arms, bursting with anger, and cast a spell. "I hope the pirate is worth it," she hissed before striding away.

. . .

With Hook protected for now, Gold was even more determined to leave Storybrooke as soon as possible. He was trying to keep up a relationship with Lacey, but Baelfire seemed like more of a priority for him. Lacey would still be there when he came back. So he contacted Emma. She knew this world better than anyone in Storybrooke, and she _found_ people for a living before Henry came into her life.

"As I recall, you owe me a favor, Miss Swan," he told her, calm and collected while she stood there feeling angry and tricked. "Pack a bag. We leave tomorrow morning at 8." And he left her apartment without another word.

Henry had heard the entire thing from the top of the stairs. And, unaware of the severity of the situation, he was rather excited at the opportunity. So he asked Emma if he could come with. Jennifer had, after all, promised him a trip to New York. Besides that, with some planning, maybe he could get his mom and aunt to be friends again.

. . .

Jennifer and her friend Mitch had decided to go to their favorite restaurant across town for their lunch break that day. So they stopped in the locker room to grab their phones and car keys, and Jennifer frowned when she saw that she had two missed calls and a voicemail.

"What is it?" Mitch asked as he slid on his jacket, brow furrowed curiously.

"Emma called," she muttered absently.

"Maine Emma?"

"Yeah," Jennifer answered quickly before pressing the phone to her ear.

 _"_ _Hey, Jenny. It's Henry. Guess what? Emma and Gold are going to New York tomorrow to look for Gold's son, and Emma said I could come. I was thinking maybe we could hang out if you're not busy? Call me back as soon as you get this!"_

Jennifer smiled as she took the phone from her ear. Henry was a sweet kid. Impatient and selfish some of the time, but what little kid isn't? He had good intentions. It was incredibly short notice, but at least he wasn't putting her on the spot. She would hate to let him down like that.

"What'd she say?" Mitch asked. Jennifer had been friends with him since her last year of med school, so she told him a lot about her personal life including her trip to Maine.

"It wasn't Emma actually. It was Henry. They're coming to New York tomorrow on business. He wants to meet up." The business part was stretching the truth a bit, but Mitch didn't need to know that. "Can lunch wait a few minutes? I wanna call him back."

"Sure, no problem. I'll wait outside," he supplied, leaving her alone in the locker room. He was tall and lean, the kind of guy who could have been a pro basketball player if he wanted. He had cropped, blonde hair and a kind, warm smile. Most of the women in the hospital fawned over him and gave _her_ dirty looks whenever they were together as if she were yanking him off the market or something.

She took a deep breath before redialing. Emma would probably be the one to answer. To be honest, she was actually pretty disappointed that Emma hadn't been the one to call her in the first place. She was the adult. She was his _mother_ , for goodness sake. An eleven year old shouldn't be setting something like this up, especially not without Jennifer talking to Emma about it first.

"Hello?" It was Emma.

"Hey, Emma, it's Jennifer." There was a strangled silence on the other end, and Jennifer had the immediate feeling that Emma didn't know what Henry had done. To save them from any awkward conversations, Jennifer just continued to talk. "I don't know if you know, but Henry called me on your phone. He told me that you, him, and Gold are coming to New York tomorrow. He, well, said that he wants to see me."

"No, um, Henry didn't tell me that," she stumbled, pausing for a small moment to think. "But, I mean, I'm okay with it if you are."

"Yeah, I'm fine with it. I just don't get off work until one tomorrow afternoon. I don't know when you guys get in..."

"We fly into Laguardia at eleven thirty."

"Then I suppose you can visit me at work if you want. If I'm not busy, I can sit down and talk for a few minutes. Maybe I can get Henry in on a tour of the hospital. He seemed to like helping me take out my stitches back in Storybrooke."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'd like that a lot," Emma chuckled.

"How long are you staying?"

"Just a day or two."

Jennifer hummed. Her mind was running a mile a minute. She imagined that an outing with Emma would be extremely awkward, but at least it would be in a fresh new place. Who knew what could happen? This could be a fresh start for both them. And that gave her another idea. "Hey, Emma, do you think you could get another ticket to New York?"

"Another? For who?" Emma was obviously confused.

"Regina," Jennifer answered. She could feel the skepticism on the other end of the line. "Look, just do me this one favor, please. It'll be good for her. She needs to get away." Emma sighed.

"How are you going to convince her to go?"

"Leave that to Henry. He's the only one she'll listen to. I know he's in school right now, but can you tell him that? And can you please tell him to have Regina call me after he talks to her?"

There was silence on the other end. Jennifer winced, waiting.

"I'll ask Gold to buy another ticket," Emma finally answered, though rather reluctantly. "But only because Regina won't have magic outside Storybrooke." Jennifer clenched her jaw at Emma's paranoia but decided to set her misgivings to the side for now. There were more important things to worry about.

" _Thank you_ , Emma."

. . .

It was Jennifer's turn to be the resident on call for the general surgery department. That meant that because she'd gotten to the hospital that morning at seven, she wasn't going to leave until around one tomorrow afternoon. It was currently 7:43 in the evening. On a normal day she'd be finishing a shift around now, so she was positively exhausted. To get through these god forsaken hours, apparently the ACGME recommends "strategic napping." It was worth a try. Someone would page her if things started going south. Besides, the attending on call had given her the go-ahead to grab half an hour of shut eye if she could.

She hated being on call, but it wasn't because she hated her job. In fact, she loved her job. Doing what she does had been her dream since she was a kid. The problem was that general surgery was a hell of a big and busy department. There were a handful of other residents working right now, but when she was on call she was just as busy as them for double the time. Plus, interns generally turned to the on call resident to gauge the state of things, so she always had to put on a brave face no matter how exhausted she was. They'd start to panic if they saw how wrung out she really felt. But could they really blame her? What did they expect, anyway? She ran everywhere for 29 hours, not 12 like the rest of them did, and she barely slept for any of it. Of course she still found it gratifying to be able to save a patient's life. It was why she put up with these ungodly shifts. She just wished they would leave her alone for 30 blissfully silent minutes.

She was dragging her feet by the time she reached the on call room. There were two sets of bunkbeds in the room that was aptly nicknamed "the closet." It had no windows, dark green walls, and was about the width of a closet. The lights were rarely turned on, but that evening they were. Inez must be working tonight. She always read books in the on call room, and, sure enough, there she was on the top bunk. She was a ridiculously sweet person, constantly smiling, inhumanly patient, and always cracking jokes to half the staff and all of the patients whether they were hers or not. And when Jennifer dared her to cut off her insanely long hair for 50 dollars, she came in the next day looking like Ellen. Naturally, she'd donated it all to charity and refused to accept any of her friend's money.

"Hey, Vega," Jennifer breathed.

Inez glanced down at her and smirked. "Long day?"

"Not even half over yet," Jennifer told her as she flopped down on the bottom bunk of the bed opposite Inez's. "I'm on call until tomorrow afternoon."

"Didn't you work second shift yesterday?" Inez wondered as she shifted onto her side to look down at Jennifer sprawled out on the bed, her eyes drifting closed against her will. Jennifer grunted in response. "Ouch." Inez hissed, looking down at her sympathetically, her brow furrowed tightly. "Hey, Mitch Chapman came in here like twenty minutes ago. You just missed him. He dropped off your cell before he left for the day, said someone important called you."

Jennifer cracked an eye open. "Toss it to me." Inez did. If Mitch thought it was important~ _urgent_ enough to bring her phone in here for her~then she better take a look. When she opened her phone and saw who it was, she couldn't help the smile that tugged incessantly at her lips. Inez picked up on it immediately.

"Who is it?" She sing-songed as she earmarked her book and set it down. Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"Someone I've been expecting," she responded as plainly as she could before standing up to make the call outside.

"Oh my goodness, honey, don't leave. You've been on your feet for twelve hours. I should be getting back to work anyway," Inez admitted as she climbed down from the bunk. "Good luck," she called as she strode out. Yeah, Jennifer was going to need it if Regina was going to be as reluctant as she expected her to be. With a deep breath, she sat back down and dialed her number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Regina it's Jennifer. I'm guessing Henry talked to you?"

She heard Regina sigh heavily over the phone. "Yes, but I don't know if this is the best idea."

She knew Regina would say something like that. "Why not?"

"It's so...sudden."

Jennifer let out something between a laugh and a sigh as she scrubbed a hand down her weary face. "I know, but I think it'll be good for you."

"That's what Henry said."

"Then Henry's a smart kid," Jennifer smirked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "How's it going between you two?"

"Well. _Slow_ ," she admitted. "I walk him home from school now. We talk. Of course the Charmings can't see it, though. All they see is the Evil Queen," she bit through her teeth.

"They'll come around. You just have to hang in there," Jennifer assured her, and she truly did believe that. "Look, Regina, I really think that a trip to New York would bring you two closer. Besides, it'll be an adventure."

Regina chuckled into Jennifer's ear, light and amused and a little bit skeptical. "An adventure?"

"Yeah, you know, I can show you guys the sights while Emma and Gold look for his son," Jennifer answered, trying to make it sound reassuring, comfortable.

Regina paused, and Jennifer could practically feel the smile fading from the mayor's lips. "There's just one thing I'm not...Henry told me that one of the reasons he asked me to come is because _you_ want me to…" she trailed off.

Jennifer's face flushed red, and she swallowed. "I just want you to be happy. And spending time with Henry outside Storybrooke will do nothing but help your relationship."

"You barely know me."

"I know you enough to know that you deserve more than the treatment you're getting in Storybrooke right now. And that is exactly why you need to get away," Jennifer deflected, her heart thumping in her chest.

Regina sighed, a soft noise of protest escaping the back of her throat, conflicted.

"Look, just tell me what's holding you back. Really," Jennifer insisted, but Regina was oddly silent. Jennifer was starting to frown by the time she spoke again.

"Alright. I'll go."


	22. Dr Alexander

a/n: I'm still alive! The last month has been insane, but thank you for being patient with me.

* * *

 _22: Dr. Alexander_

After she'd hung up the phone with Jennifer last night, she immediately called Emma because when Emma had dropped Henry off at her house after school that afternoon all she said was to call her when she'd made her decision. She'd had no idea what Emma was talking about until after her lengthy conversation with Henry.

"You've been kinda...stuck inside your head since Cora left. It'll be good to get away from everything in Storybrooke. Besides, it'll be fun to hang out with Jenny," Henry had explained gently.

 _Had_ she been stuck? She supposed that Cora's words were still tumbling around her her head. After all, she'd told her own daughter that she was too weak to prevent Henry from leaving, that she was just a shell of what she could have been (what Cora didn't know that she once was): someone strong and decisive, someone who wasn't afraid to take what she wanted, what she _needed_. And she needed Henry in her life. The problem was that she felt like all she was doing to fix it was digging a tunnel through the sand. She felt weak and pitiful, and she feared that Henry could tell.

. . .

She didn't like airplanes. She didn't like being stuck shoulder to shoulder with strangers. She didn't like being launched into the air inside a giant metal death trap, and, the first time she'd flown, she remembered hating being treated like a commoner.

Henry, on the other hand, was ecstatic. He couldn't sit still for more than five minutes in the terminal. Gold would sigh dramatically every time Henry stood up, and both Emma and Regina would glare him into submission.

Then Regina's phone buzzed in her blazer pocket.

 _Have a safe flight! Stop by the hospital when you land. Henry might like a tour_

Her lips stretched up into an amused smile, and Emma noticed. "Are you texting?"

The two of them hadn't communicated much since Regina cast the protection spell over Hook. In fact, they didn't say a word to each other during the drive to the airport.

"I fail to see how it's any of your business, Miss Swan," Regina blinked, shaking her head. Emma raised her brow and glanced down at Regina's phone. Regina swallowed, locking the screen.

"I just didn't think you were a texter," Emma shrugged. Henry was up again, wandering the terminal, looking out the windows at the planes taking off and taxiing, so there was an empty buffer seat between the two of them. Regina's phone buzzed again. "Is that an address? From Jenny?" Emma asked curiously. "She did say she wanted us to visit the hospital when we landed."

"I am not wasting time visiting Dr. Alexander when we could be looking for my son," Gold told them firmly, almost a hiss, apparently having listened to them talk. Regina shot her eyes to the ceiling and folded her hands over her lap, sighing.

"You can spare an hour for lunch," Emma drawled.

"You don't even want to _see_ her," Regina couldn't help but interject. She was fed up with Emma's crap, fed up with her pretending to be such an angel.

"She's my sister. Of course I want to see her!" Emma protested, turning her whole body to face Regina who gasped out a ridiculous half laugh.

"Family doesn't do what you did," Regina shook her head.

"Tell that to your father, Regina," Emma responded in a low, icy voice.

"At least I lived up to what I did," Regina hissed. "All you did was make excuses." Emma's face was tense and angry, and it made Regina pause in shock, watching as Emma clenched her fists. "Wow. You actually believe them." She scoffed and shook her head. Before Emma could come up with a reply, Henry bounded back to them.

"When is _our_ plane gonna land?" He asked, sitting down between them. He noticed the intensity in the air immediately. "Are you guys okay?"

. . .

"Inez, they're coming," Jennifer breathed as she jogged up next to her in the hall.

"What?" she asked, alarmed. "Who?"

"People I met in Maine. It's...complicated, but I didn't know they were coming until yesterday and I...I don't know how to _entertain_ them."

"In New York City? Are you kidding me?" she laughed, looking Jennifer up and down. "Take them to the Met, Central Park, the Empire State building. Jesus, Alexander." Jennifer rubbed a hand over the back of her neck.

"I just want to make a good impression, you know? Henry's just a kid so he'll like anything I throw at him, but I have no idea what _Regina_ likes," she pushed, hoping for some kind of miracle solution. Inez raised her brow as they walked. She was holding a chart, and Jennifer had a couple minutes to spare.

"Regina's a nice name." She had a curious lilt to her voice, almost suggestive.

Jennifer blushed, shoving Inez's arm. "Oh, fuck off. That's really all you've got?"

"What?" Inez laughed, throwing her arms up. "I didn't even do anything!" Jennifer just shook her head, and Inez smirked. Now there was no doubt in her mind that Regina was the one she'd gotten the phone call from yesterday, the one she'd been smiling about in the on call room.

"Alright, look. Show Henry around the hospital. Dr. Fields is the attending on call for general surgery, right?" Jennifer nodded. "Okay, I can get you 20 minutes if it's not busy, but the volume on your pager better be high enough to wake the dead from their refrigerated little caskets down in the basement. Got it?" she asked sternly. Inez was a Fellow, and she'd been something between a mentor figure and a friend to her for the last couple years.

"Got it, thank you," Jennifer smiled, falling back as Inez walked ahead.

"Oh, and it'll be good for Regina to see you in your lab coat. Women like uniforms. Make sure you don't have any blood on your sneakers either," Inez called back to her with a cheeky grin.

. . .

As promised, Jennifer took Henry and Regina on a tour of the hospital after Emma and Gold dropped them off. They didn't stay for lunch, and it was probably best anyway.

As they walked, Jennifer noted that Regina looked tired from the plane ride with shining eyes and flushed cheeks and clothes that were ever so slightly ruffled. She was in a very tailored jacket and a fancy silk blouse, and Jennifer thought it was rather funny that she chose to wear that on a plane. Those heels were fit for a board meeting not a cramped, stuffy airplane. But Jennifer adored that she wasn't phased at all by her questioning glances and couldn't help the grin and chuckle that escaped her lips as she directed them to radiology.

Jennifer asked them about the plane ride as they walked, turning corners and riding an elevator and squeezing past other doctors and nurses and stretchers. And Regina just listened, content, as she talked. She figured that she could listen to Jennifer talk for hours without getting bored. Though she didn't know what the hell Jennifer was talking about when she went into the specifics of diagnosing a patient, she said it with such enthusiasm that Regina couldn't help but be enamoured.

She admired the dedication and respect she had for her work. It was refreshing. And it was really very nice to see her in scrubs. They first caught her eye when Jennifer had met them in the lobby earlier. They were navy blue, and she was donning comfy looking tennis shoes and a pristine white lab coat as well~similar to the one she'd stolen in Storybrooke. It looked better with scrubs underneath. Jennifer, in fact, looked much more professional in scrubs, a lot different than when she'd thrown on a lab coat and played doctor in Storybrooke. This was the real thing, and it honestly took Regina's breath away.

This is what she did for a living. She saved lives, and all Regina had ever done for the world was take them away. She felt ashamed of herself all of a sudden. Jennifer was much too good for her, that was abundantly clear. She watched as Jennifer checked the pager on her waistband. "I better get going," she sighed, glancing up at them. "Why don't I meet you guys at the cafe across the street?" she asked, looking between them, her hands on her hips. That's when Regina noticed how frazzled she looked. Despite how normal she was acting, she looked exhausted, strands of hair falling out of her ponytail and dark circles under her eyes.

"How long have you been working?" Regina couldn't help but ask. She thought it was odd that Jennifer would only work half a day at a hospital, but she hadn't had a chance to ask about it until now.

"Since seven," Jennifer nodded, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her lab coat and shifting her weight around. Regina frowned. She seemed too tired to have only started at seven this morning. She hadn't even worked a full day yet her scrubs were wrinkled, eyeliner smeared ever so slightly at the corner of her eyelids.

. . .

When Jennifer's shift ended at one, her only thought was of coffee. She'd taken a few strategic power naps over the course of the last 30 hours, but it wasn't even close to a full night's sleep. Combined with the second shift she'd worked the night before, she was fighting to keep her eyes open. She changed back into her street clothes on autopilot~jeans and a tee shirt~and ran a comb through her tangled hair. She just needed coffee; that's all. She'd be fine. She washed her face, looked herself in the mirror, and nodded in resignation.

"I'm a mess." She had dark bags under her eyes, no makeup on hand, and the dull heaviness of sleep behind her eyes. She had no idea how she was going to entertain Henry and Regina for the entire day. She closed her eyes, holding herself up against the porcelain sink. After a moment of much needed calm, she took a deep, harsh breath and slapped herself lightly on the cheek a couple times, blinking rapidly. She looked at herself in the mirror. "Alright, sleep is for the weak. You can do this, Jennifer." She paused and pressed her lips together, exhaling forcefully through her nose and nodding lightly to herself. "You can do this."

. . .

Emma called Jennifer as she was walking to the cafe. She wasn't expecting her call until later so, curiously, she answered it. "Yeah?"

"Look, I know I've been an asshole. You're under no obligation to give a damn about me, but I need your advice," Emma breathed on the other end. She sounded like she was in a panic. Jennifer slowed her pace and frowned.

"What's wrong?" If Emma hadn't been so hysterical, Jennifer would not have felt any obligation to listen to her. Not unless what was going to come out of her mouth was a heartfelt apology. But Jennifer could practically feel her mind running in circles, and it reminded her of when they were kids. And she felt an old, familiar pull to listen and help and be a sister again. And she gave in. Just this once.

"It's Henry," she rambled, and Jennifer could feel her pacing on the other end.

"Henry?"

"Henry's father."

"What about him?" She didn't know where this was going or what had brought this on, but it was information that she felt was for her ears only, and that was something she'd forgotten she missed about Emma. All those little things they used to know about each other. And this felt strangely reminiscent of them talking under the covers at night when no one else could get to them and they trusted no one but each other and the dark to keep their secrets.

"Gold's son is Henry's father," she said quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. And there was a loud silence between them, Emma waiting for Jennifer to say something, anything. Jennifer didn't know what she _should_ say. She blinked, her mouth gaping.

"Henry's Gold's…"

"Yeah, he is," Emma confirmed, completely frazzled. But there was something else she was concerned about. Jennifer could tell.

"So, what~"

"I told Henry his dad was a firefighter and that he died. Jesus, I told him he was a hero for fuck's sake!"

"I take it that's not what actually happened."

"Jennifer, I had Henry in jail because Neal let me take the fall for watches that he fucking stole! I haven't seen him in eleven years!" she exclaimed, outraged, frustrated, and trapped. "I don't want Henry to meet him."

"Emma, you can't keep this from him."

"I just…" she trailed off, groaning. "I can't even look at him."

"Emma, listen to me. Henry doesn't deserve not to meet his father just because you don't like him or because you lied to Henry about him. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and face your problems. You dug this hole, and you're just going to make it worse if you do anything but tell him. Both of them," Jennifer told her firmly. Somewhere in there Jennifer had started talking about her own problems with Emma, and they both knew it. Emma sighed, and Jennifer frowned suddenly. "But you knew that all along, didn't you," she guessed. It was just something about the way she sighed, like she was too willing, too ready to agree to whatever sense Jennifer happened to spout.

Emma didn't say anything for a while.

"Why'd you call me?"

Emma was silent some more. "I just needed someone to talk to," she paused. "I needed to talk to _you_ ," she amended. "Jennifer, you've been the only person I feel comfortable enough talking to about...everything. I just... _miss_ you," she admitted. "But I'm also kind of panicking," she added nervously.

"Let's just focus on Henry right now," Jennifer suggested, making sure she didn't get her hopes up. Emma wasn't thinking straight, and she wanted to make sure to take that into account. At this point, she wouldn't put it past her to use Jennifer willingness to help to her advantage. "Where are you?"

"A bar. Somewhere."

"Okay, why don't you come to us. We're at the cafe across from the hospital," she instructed. Emma took a deep breath. "You can do this. Just relax."


	23. Central Park

_23: Central Park_

After Jennifer hung up the phone she groaned and scrubbed her hands down her face. "What a day," she mumbled to herself as she checked the time. 1:24. Perfect.

She spotted Regina and Henry right away when she entered the cafe. They were sitting by the window talking about something outside. The early afternoon light fell on them in golden rays. Steam billowed from their mugs, coats draped over their chairs. Regina's ankles were folded, her back as straight as a pin, but she looked happy and content with Henry leaning over the table talking about something or another.

It was so domestic and simple and warm like Jennifer hadn't felt in a long time. For a moment she forgot about all the shit going on around her and smiled, the corner of her lips quirking up. When Regina spotted her standing in the entryway like an idiot she furrowed her brow, her eyes raking Jennifer cautiously. Then she took a deep breath and the smile faded. Regina stood up, frowning. Jennifer ushered her forward. "What's wrong?" she asked once they were away from prying ears.

"Emma just called. They found Gold's son."

"And?" Regina asked, sensing that Jennifer was holding back.

"And...he's Henry's father," she breathed, watching her for a reaction. Regina raised her brow and shifted her weight around. She pressed her lips together, and her jaw twitched.

"He's here?"

"He's coming here with Emma. And probably Gold." Jennifer watched her carefully. Regina looked frazzled, caught off guard but it was too subtle to catch unless you were looking for it. "You okay?" Jennifer inquired gently.

"Of course," Regina replied dismissively. She eyed Jennifer critically as if asking how dare she not be perfectly perfect at every hour of every day.

"Lemme buy you another coffee," Jennifer just offered, placing a hand on her back and leading her to the line. Then Jennifer glanced at her curiously, furrowing her brow in bemusement. "Do you feel threatened? By Neal?" Regina folded her arms over her chest and scoffed. There was a bitter expression on her face, and Jennifer shook her head and chuckled. She rubbed her hand up and down Regina's back for a moment, watching as Regina swayed with her arm. "Regina, I _promise_ you that if you don't try and kill anyone or destroy Storybrooke or do anything crazy, Henry will still love you. You raised him. That's not something people just... _forget about_."

Regina's shoulders relaxed, if only by her forcing them to, and Jennifer dropped her hand. "I'd hope not. It's just sometimes…"

"I know," she answered softly.

. . .

By the time Emma arrived with Gold and Neal, Henry was bursting with anticipation. Neither Jennifer nor Regina told him what exactly was happening, but they decided not to stay for the introductions. So they said goodbye to Henry and met the three adults just outside.

"Where's Henry?" Emma said with a long exhale as Jennifer and Regina approached.

"Waiting inside," Jennifer answered, her eyes settling on Neal. He was tall and scruffy, and Jennifer could see why an 18 year old Emma might cling to a guy like him. "You must be Neal," Jennifer said, eyeing him critically. She didn't offer her hand to shake. He'd hurt Emma. He didn't deserve her hand. But he did deserve to meet his son. That she was a firm believer in. And she knew Emma would do everything in her power not to let Henry get hurt. So for now she could be cordial. It was the benefit of the doubt or something.

"Jenny, right? I've heard a lot about you," he gestured to her and gave her a lopsided smile.

"Really?" Jennifer inquired casually, glancing at Emma who cleared her throat and shifted around nervously. She hadn't seemed to have noticed Neal's comment. Jennifer quirked her brow at her. Emma shook her head, and it made Jennifer uneasy.

"I think we're going to sit this one out," Regina said to the three of them, Gold watching every single thing Neal did with a critical, curious eye. And Neal was watching Regina with trepidation. To him she was the Evil Queen in sheep's clothing.

"Spend the afternoon with Henry," Jennifer offered distractedly. "I'll take Regina back to the hotel tonight. Just text me the address."

They all agreed to the plan, even Gold who just wanted some quality time with a son who resented him. Before the three of them could walk into the cafe, Jennifer grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her to the side and looked her in the eye. "Hey, I'm sorry about what Neal did to you. And I know you're worried about Henry getting hurt like you were or having to fess up to him or whatever, but you have to do this," she said, holding onto her arms tightly. She was honestly slightly concerned at how passive Emma was being. The Emma Jennifer knew would never let life catch up to her like this. She'd have taken control a long time ago. What the hell had happened between then and now?

"I know," Emma answered, nodding. Jennifer gave her an encouraging smile before she pulled away to follow Gold and Neal. Regina noticed.

"Are you and Emma...okay?" Regina asked as the three of them disappeared into the café. Jennifer shrugged hesitantly and told Regina about the phone call and their conversation. "And you think her intentions were good?"

"I think she's not thinking straight right now," Jennifer admitted without telling Regina about her more private concerns. "She just needs a friend."

"Well, you're certainly not the only one butting heads with Miss Swan," she breathed as they strolled down the sidewalk. Jennifer furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?"

Regina sighed, conflicted. She supposed Jennifer deserved to hear. "She was leveraging Henry so I would cast a protection spell around Hook. Then I called her out on what she did to you, and she brought up my fa...well, I suppose it doesn't matter what she said. The point is, we're not speaking right now. Though it's not like we were before that either," she mused, her voice dipping to a gravelly drawl, her brow furrowed.

Jennifer looked appalled, and she curled her lip like there was a bad taste in her mouth. "I cannot believe...I never thought Emma would stoop to…I mean she's acting like a coward!" she shook her head and took a deep, cleansing breath. "I'm sorry she said that to you." Regina shook her head.

"It's not for you to be sorry about," she paused, glancing at the woman next to her. "Jennifer, I'm not saying this to hurt you. I'm saying it so you can understand that Miss Swan is not as... _pure_ as you want her to be. I know you want her be better, but~"

"She can be," Jennifer insisted. "Look, this isn't her. This isn't my Emma. It's fucking ridiculous, is what it is, but it's not _her_."

Regina sighed. They had stopped walking. "I think you need to see Emma for the person she is now rather than the one she used to be. People do... _change_." And Jennifer snapped.

"Every time we talk about Emma I feel like we're talking about the Evil Queen," she burst, turning to face her. "And you changed, Regina. You, of all people, should understand that Emma can do the same!" Not as much as you might think, Regina wanted to say. "She was a completely different person ten years ago. Besides, I...feel like you keep bringing the Evil Queen up to push me away or something."

Regina frowned and took a step forward. "Push you away?" Jennifer couldn't look directly at her, though she sure as hell tried. Her eyes skirted over her cheeks and her forehead and just behind her hair as she clenched her jaw. "Why the hell would I do that?" she scoffed, looking at Jennifer like she was being completely absurd. "Despite my reputation, I don't hate you, dear," Regina nearly laughed, shaking her head. Jennifer flushed and swallowed in nervous relief.

"I don't know. I just really...don't want you to," Jennifer explained helplessly. Regina followed her avoidant eyes closely.

"I just want you to know what you're getting into," she told her softly.

"You make it sound like a contract."

"Well isn't it, in a way?" Regina asked.

"Partnership sounds better," Jennifer protested.

"Partnership, then," Regina agreed casually, and Jennifer was positive she didn't know what she was implying. Regina frowned suddenly. "Were you actually worried that I…" Jennifer smiled painfully and shied away, feeling wholly ridiculous, and Regina did something that Jennifer did not expect at all. She leaned forward and ran the back of her fingers across Jennifer's cheek and slid them up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. Her fingers lingered on her ear, and Jennifer froze in place, her neck hot and red.

Jennifer's eyes inched carefully up to Regina's whose gaze was focused on her ear. The mayor's eyes darted to hers but quickly broke away along with her hand. "Don't be," Regina said quietly, the air around them suddenly very thick as her jaw twitched.

. . .

Jennifer walked them to Central Park. Second, of course, to getting another cup of coffee. "There's a little clearing in the park that not many people know about. It's not even paved. People just walked it down into a trail, you know," Jennifer glanced at Regina to make sure she was listening. She was. "It's great for picnics, and the shade in the afternoon is perfect. Are you sure you'll be okay in those shoes?" Jennifer wondered, glancing down at her ridiculous, unsensible heels.

"I'll manage," Regina supplied. Jennifer shrugged.

"Alright."

They walked in silence for a while along the paved part of Central Park where she knew the light trickled through the trees and the most flowers bloomed.

"It's beautiful, here," Regina commented as Jennifer hummed and took a sip of her coffee. It didn't compare to the way the sun fell on Regina's cheeks and made her eyes shine a golden, amber brown. But she didn't say that.

Jennifer directed Regina off the concrete and onto a beaten trail just as Jennifer's phone rang. "Hello?" She answered.

"I got us into the Guggenheim tonight. Grab a dress, we're going out." It was Val's voice, low and excited, barely containing herself.

"I can't," Jennifer told her.

"You can't? Are you kidding me? I am only in town for a limited time, Birdie," Val warned. Jennifer rolled her eyes right before Regina's ankle buckled. On medical instinct alone, she dropped her phone and reached out to grab Regina's elbow and steady her, both of them stumbling into each other in the grass. Jennifer's hand trailed the length of Regina's forearm almost slow enough to draw attention as they caught their footing.

"Just take off your damn heels," Jennifer chuckled with a shake of her head, shoulders brushing, toe to toe. Regina sighed, her nostrils flaring, and her breath came out on Jennifer's arm before she reluctantly pulled off her shiny black shoes.

"Hello?" Val asked on the other end after Jennifer grabbed her cell from the grass.

"Nothing, sorry. What were you saying?"

"Are you _with_ someone?" Val asked in a low, almost hushed tone. Jennifer immediately turned a dark shade of red.

"No, of course not," she scoffed. "I mean, _yes_ , but not...like _that_ ," she hissed into the receiver.

"Someone I know?" Val asked. Jennifer sighed, moving away so Regina wouldn't hear her talking about her.

"It's Regina. She's here visiting with Emma and Henry. It's complicated," she admitted, rubbing her forehead.

Val heaved a pleasant sigh. "I'm in heaven. Where are you?"

"Just Central Park. You know that one clearing."

"Don't move an inch. I'm only a few blocks away."

"Val, no~"

"Birdie, honey, you don't have a choice in the matter. Regina is here from Maine. This is your chance to make a move, and I will not let you waste it because I know you will," Val warned. Jennifer sighed. There was a headache forming behind her eyes.

"If you insist on meeting her, at least bring me a coffee."

. . .

"Everything okay?" Regina asked, her heels dangling from the tips of her fingers. She was so much shorter without them and a lot less intimidating. It was different and softer and disarmingly attractive.

"Yeah," she sighed, shaking her head. "A friend of mine, Val, is in town. She wants to meet you."

Regina looked confused. "How does she…"

"I told her about you guys," Jennifer admitted. "I've known her for ten years, so we talk a lot. I'm sorry if that's~"

"No," Regina assured quickly. "No, it's okay."

Jennifer leaned up against a tree with a sigh, practically using it to hold herself up. She was absolutely fucking exhausted but didn't dare show it. She wanted Regina to have a good time in New York, and that didn't involve her guide sleeping all afternoon. Regina set her shoes down on the grass next to her and glanced around before her eyes settled back on Jennifer.

"Do you think Henry knows?" Jennifer asked suddenly. Regina furrowed her brow and cocked her head. "About the fighting." Regina was silent, and Jennifer had her answer. "Smart kid," Jennifer sighed. A bird chirped. Regina shifted against her tree.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Your tattoos~" Regina trailed off with a strangled question on her lips. Jennifer smiled in amusement.

"Do people in the Enchanted Forest not have tattoos?"

"Not generally, no," Regina admitted. "It's widely seen as~"

"Trashy?"

"I was going to say unacceptable."

"Well, the attitudes are pretty similar here, too. You just push through," Jennifer said, watching as Regina stared at her arms and the tattoos peeking from the collar of her shirt. "See something you like?" Jennifer couldn't help but tease. Regina doesn't blush often, but she did then. "Can I ask _you_ something?" Jennifer asked as she wandered over to Regina's tree. She leaned up against the side of it, next to Regina who was looking at her expectantly.

Regina found this whole experience to be rather eye opening. Standing in the heart of New York among people who knew nothing of who she was or what she's done was surprisingly liberating. And it made her feel unexpectedly shameful of her actions as the Evil Queen. Maybe that was the problem with living in the Enchanted Forest. It was easy to get stuck inside her own little world because it was the _only_ world.

"Why were you so hesitant to come to New York?" Jennifer asked, and it was a question she dreaded answering just because she didn't _have_ an answer. She honestly couldn't articulate what had been holding her back, but when Jennifer shifted on the tree and leaned her head against the bark Regina caught a whiff of her perfume, light and airy like a summer's breeze and lilacs, and that feeling of apprehension bubbled up again.

"I don't like flying," she said instead.


	24. Valerie Coleman

_24: Valerie Coleman_

Before Jennifer could respond, Val walked into the clearing with a tray of coffee, the kind they give out at fast food restaurants. She wore a wide, curious smile as she glanced around at the clearing. It could easily fit three comfortably spaced picnic blankets, but they were the only ones there at the moment. It was like a little safe haven in the middle of a chaotic city. "God, this place hasn't changed at all," she sighed.

Before Regina could even get out a hello, Val was pushing a cup of coffee into Jennifer's hand. "Coffee for you, love," she breathed before pulling another steaming cup from the cup holder and handing it to Regina. The two of them pushed off the tree to stand up straight and take their coffee. "And coffee for you!" She exclaimed, tucking the empty cup holder under arm and holding her hand out to shake. "It's such a pleasure to meet you, Regina. Valerie Coleman. _Val_ ," she corrected.

"Oh, you as well," she supplied, a little disoriented. Val's red hair came down over her shoulder in light waves. She wore a collared blouse and jeans and boots~not heels.

"I'm sorry for just barging in like this. I don't come to New York very often, so when I heard you and Henry were in town I just had to meet you," she explained with a smile as Jennifer sipped her new coffee.

"Where do you live?" Regina wondered, furrowing her brow.

"Currently Paris," Val supplied.

"She's here on business," Jennifer told Regina, leaning in closer as if it was a secret.

"I'm an art dealer," Val explained. Regina raised her brow and nodded.

"So you travel a lot then?" she questioned, her voice a lot lower, a lot more gravelly than Val's.

"Very often, yes. I'm sort of a consultant. I have a lot of freedom in where I can live."

"You must lead a very exciting life," Regina was fascinated. She was jealous, actually. Val was worldly and experienced, things Regina was, admittedly, not. Even in the Enchanted Forest all Regina was was strong and resilient. She'd grown up very sheltered, and, as a Queen, all she'd ever done was looked down from above. Her dream of seeing the world and living a quiet life with Daniel was dashed, and she never made new plans. She'd been stuck inside her own life. She supposed she still was.

"She leads a very _noncommittal_ life," Jennifer chuckled.

"And you lead a very _boring_ one, Birdie," Val insisted, a chuckle escaping her lips. Before Jennifer could protest, Val was digging in her purse. "Speaking of your boring life, I have a gift for you and Regina." Jennifer immediately knew where this was going.

"Valerie, no," she shook her head firmly, her voice low. Jennifer didn't use Val's full name often anymore.

"Take them. You and Regina," she insisted, pushing the tickets towards Jennifer.

"You paid money for these," Jennifer frowned.

"Think of it as a gift," Val insisted before turning to Regina. "Please, take them. I understand this was somewhat of a spontaneous visit. Jennifer didn't have time to plan anything. Let me help you out."

Regina winced, glancing at Jennifer in strangled silence. "I don't want to take these tickets away from you. You've obviously been planning this…"

"I was given these this morning by a coworker who couldn't attend," Val admitted. "It's really no skin off my nose." Jennifer and Regina glanced at each other.

"Do you like art?" Jennifer asked, raising a shoulder awkwardly. Val rolled her eyes dramatically.

"I do," Regina affirmed hesitantly. "I mean…"

"Trust me, I've seen all those pieces before." Val absolutely did not beg, but she did have a way of persuading people. Jennifer and Regina glanced at each other.

"Alright," Jennifer finally nodded, not taking her eyes from Regina. "We'll go."

"Perfect!" Val exclaimed, grinning between the two of them. "Now I need to borrow Jennifer for just one moment," she apologized before dragging Jennifer down the trail and out of the clearing. "Birdie, she's gorgeous," her voice was low and serious as she looked her dead in the eyes. "I mean really, really... _sultry_. What the _fuck_ are you waiting for?" She reached forward and cupped Jennifer's cheeks. Jennifer swatted her away.

"I just don't want to make it awkward."

"Sweetie," she searched Jennifer's avoidant eyes, "you have a chance here," Val assured her softly. Jennifer frowned. The color drained from her face.

"What?"

"Tonight is the night!" Val exclaimed in a breathy whisper, stepping back. "Don't waste an opportunity like this, Jennifer," she told her sincerely. And she didn't give her a chance to react before she was dragging her back to Regina.

"I don't, actually, have anything to wear," Regina admitted with a little laugh, turning to meet the two women. "At least not to the Guggenheim."

"I'm sure I can dig something out of Birdie's closet," Val assured immediately, a large smile on her cheeks. Any of Jennifer's protests were drowned out by Val's self-assured, easy going confidence. "I have to make a stop on the way, but I'll meet you at Jennifer's apartment," she nodded, shoving the tickets into Jennifer's hand. Jennifer sighed and nearly rolled her eyes as she led the way to her apartment. All Val was doing was taking a longer way to her apartment so she could give Jennifer and Regina some time alone.

"I'm sorry Val's dragging you through all this," Jennifer apologized, glancing at Regina who shook her head.

"It's an adventure," Regina smiled. They were silent for a few moments. "You and Val seem close," Regina supplied, turning her head back to Jennifer.

"She's more often than not a pain in my ass," Jennifer drawled, "but I think I'm stuck with her now," she chuckled.

"You know, I've always wanted to see Paris," Regina mused.

"Me too," Jennifer admitted, "Val's always threatening to take me…"

"Why don't you go with her?"

Jennifer shrugged noncommittally, obviously uncomfortable. "I love Val to death, but she's not very...supportive when it comes to...actual, serious emotions. You know, Paris is just a really special place for me. My mom always told me she'd take me there someday, and I just worry that Val'll ruin it for me or something."

"Have you told her that?" Regina asked delicately.

"Are you kidding me?" Jennifer laughed. "Val would…" she shook her head, "that would hurt her a lot. And I can't do that to her. It's just not worth it."

"Would you go on your own?" Regina asked.

"I don't know. It never feels like the right time," she admitted, glancing at Regina. "I mean, I want to go," she rushed. "I just feel like I'd be so out of place. I don't want to let my parents down or anything."

Regina nodded, "I understand that, but I don't think you should worry about your parents. I think they'd be proud of whatever you do so long as it makes you happy. That's all I ever want for Henry, anyway. For him to be happy." Jennifer smiled at the way she talked about Henry, soft and warm and brimming with a love that radiated from Regina's very core.

. . .

"You said Emma was different when she was younger?" Regina asked as they approached Jennifer's apartment.

"A lot different," Jennifer chuckled. "She did everything she could to protect me when we were in the foster system even if it meant getting hurt herself," she explained, and it didn't necessarily surprise Regina. "The difference was that she wasn't doing it to feel good about herself or to appease someone. What she did for me…" Jennifer shook her head. "She has scars that I should have," she said somberly. Regina raised her brow at that. Now that surprised her. "What about you? What were you like when you were a kid?"

Regina heaved a sigh and shook her head. "Fragile." And that was her only explanation.

. . .

Once they reached Jennifer's apartment, Regina thought that she'd just grab a dress, and they'd go. However, when Val arrived, mere minutes after Jennifer and Regina, she started rifling through Jennifer's closet for what felt like hours upon hours, and Regina started to feel uncomfortable. She usually liked trying on clothes. She liked looking good and being waited on. She was a _queen_. But not here and not now. This wasn't her castle or even Storybrooke. Here she felt, god, she couldn't even believe it, but she felt like she was imposing. She hadn't cared what other people thought of her in well over thirty years. It baffled her that something as simple as a dress could make her feel like such an outsider.

She brushed her hair behind her ear and folded her leg over her knee. The more Valerie shouted to Jennifer from Jennifer's room and Jennifer responded with tired banter, the more Regina hated the fact that she'd worn heels today. Valerie's boots were discarded by the door, and she couldn't help but stare at them disdainfully.

Jennifer yawned from her seat on the couch. She had a warm, little apartment that was inexplicably, very much her. Art hung from the walls, various plants and flowers lined window sills and countertops, and sun streamed in from every window.

Regina glanced at her. She looked tired. There were dark bags under her eyes. She yawned, but she smiled afterward, her eyes wet and shining. She was always smiling. It reminded Regina of Snow but in a less obnoxious way.

"Are you okay?" Regina leaned forward.

"Fine," she answered with a shrug. It wasn't convincing. Before Regina could say another word, Val came back with three different dresses for Regina to try.

. . .

Regina suffered through trying them all on, though she found the task unnecessary and awkward. Val made her show her every single dress, including the whole "turn around so I can see the back." Regina wasn't very good at hiding her annoyance. She never had been, but she was trying very hard to be as polite as possible to Jennifer's friend.

"Alright, I know you're fed up with all this crap, but this night has to be perfect," Val told her as she eyed this particular one up and down. Regina exhaled through her nose.

"Why?" She ground out. They were standing inside Jennifer's room, and Val was eyeing her like they were at a boutique trying on wedding dresses.

"One time, a long time ago, I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art making a deal with an international buyer. I was new, but the sale was in the bag. Ultimately, he decided not to buy the piece. Later, I found out it was because I wasn't dressed 'as well as the piece deserved' and that he wanted to teach me a lesson in sales," she said matter-of-factly, quoting the man as she eyed the dress from the side. Regina's face contorted. It sounded like something she'd have done in the Enchanted Forest except Valerie wouldn't have lost a sale, she'd be dead.

"I'm...sorry."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I nearly got fired."

"But what does it have to do with my clothes…" she drawled then caught herself, " _Jennifer's_ clothes."

"I just want you to enjoy it in New York. Then maybe you'll consider coming back someday," Val answered, shrugging. Regina didn't believe her one bit. And Val knew it. "I think this is the one," Val said, trying to distract her from the truth and leaving Regina nothing but confused. It was a navy blue dress, something Regina might wear in Storybrooke. She ran a hand down her side. Jennifer had a similar build to Emma, but she was considerably shorter. In fact, she was more like Regina's height. That meant that the dress fit, but it was just barely too tight nearly everywhere. "You look wonderful," Val told her as they looked at the dress in the mirror then glanced at her phone. "We should get going," she mumbled, jogging out to the living room. "Get changed, Birdie; we gotta go!"

Regina glanced at Jennifer when she wandered half-heartedly into her room. Jennifer stopped abruptly when she saw what Regina was wearing and stared. The mayor sighed, looking at herself helplessly. "It's~"

"No," Jennifer cut her off, "I think you look beautiful," she admitted with a soft breath. Regina swallowed, avoiding eye contact. "And it fits you pretty well," Jennifer supplied, walking up next to her. Regina caught a whiff of her perfume and swallowed. She smelled like the flowers she had on her window sill and the afternoon sun. "Looks like Val didn't zip you up all the way," Jennifer mumbled before reaching up to fix it. Her fingers grazed the skin at the nape of Regina's neck, delicate and absolutely freezing, and she nearly shivered. Then Jennifer paused, standing there, looking at them in the mirror. "You look beautiful, Regina," she told her again softly, her hands sliding slowly from her back. Regina glanced over her shoulder at Jennifer, then slowly turned around to face her. Jennifer was so close that Regina could see the little hairs on her skin. "Are you okay?" Jennifer whispered, her brow furrowed. Regina snapped her mouth closed and shook her head.

"You're freezing. I was just surprised," Regina responded, her eyes traveling to Jennifer's hands distractedly.

"I've been told I'm cold blooded," Jennifer chuckled softly, her breath coming out short and shallow. Without really thinking, Regina reached over and took Jennifer's hands in hers. "Good lord, are you always this warm?" Jennifer gasped out, looking up as Regina's lashes fluttered to hers.

"I think anything is going to feel warm to your hands, dear," Regina whispered back, a smile tugging at her lips. Jennifer gave her a lopsided smile right back, and another shiver ran down Regina's spine. She told herself it was because of the ice blocks Jennifer called hands, but she didn't think she could explain how her chest tightened and heart pounded and how she felt entirely hot and flustered all of a sudden.

"Juste embrasser déjà!" Val groaned in the door, and the two women were startled enough to break apart, a gasping breath between them. Jennifer looked annoyed as she turned to Val.

"Pour _une fois_ dans votre vie, s'il vous plaît, mêlez-vous de vos affaires." She protested as if this wasn't the first time Val had done something like this. At least this time she'd said it in French. Then Jennifer sighed, face contorted as if painfully exhausted by the entire situation. "Va t'en."

"Not a problem, honey," Val grinned as she walked back into the living room. The term of endearment felt entirely different coming from her mouth. They were old friends. Honey was the same as asshole or bitch when you said it with a smile. But when Regina called her dear it sounded, well, it sounded much different.

"What just happened?" Regina asked, and when Jennifer looked back at her they were farther away from each other than before. Jennifer exhaled forcefully from her nose, rubbing two fingers down her aching temple.

"Valerie Coleman."

. . .

When Jennifer came out of her room a few minutes later she was wearing a simple, black dress and black heels. She had on red lipstick and a hint of smudged eyeliner, and her curly hair was braided loosely down her back. "How do I look?" Jennifer teased, smirking as her hands fell down to her sides. Regina pushed herself away from the wall she was leaning on. She saw the way the dress hugged her waist more perfectly than Regina's hand-me-down and the way her legs looked in heels, strong and lean. She saw the way her own eyes were drawn to the blood red of her lips and the smoke around her sharp, blue eyes. And she could feel a knot tighten in her chest.

"You look...very nice," Regina admitted softly. And she watched very carefully as a blush rose to Jennifer's freckled cheeks, and she pressed her lips together and averted her eyes. Val whistled.

"Très belle!" she exclaimed, standing up. "Now let's go!" And they did.

* * *

a/n: Here are translations if you need them.

"Juste embrasser déjà!" ~ "Just kiss already!"

"Pour _une fois_ dans votre vie, s'il vous plaît, mêlez-vous de vos affaires." ~ "For once in your life, please, mind your own business."

"Va t'en." ~ "Go away."

"Très belle!" ~ "Very beautiful!"


	25. Magic

a/n: Usually I wait to post until I've written one or two chapters ahead, but I'm really excited about this one. Let me know what you think!

* * *

 _25: Magic_

The line to get into the Guggenheim was ungodly long, and the evening air was starting to raise goosebumps on their skin. But once they finally got in, Jennifer asked Regina if it was worth the wait, and she nodded. Regina had never been to an art museum before, and she found that she enjoyed the atmosphere. Throughout the white, spiral halls of the Guggenheim, she could hear murmurs and the clicking of heels and men's shoes and one collective buzz of intellectual stimulation. It reminded her somewhat of a royal ball. The people and the music and the sights and the smells fit together like the gears in a clock and everything went right for a while. Everything was perfect.

They wandered together for a while, looking at art, before Regina started lingering on paintings and Jennifer browsed more. Regina couldn't help stealing glances at her, though. The way she stared at a piece she liked with a tightly knitted brow and bare arms folded loosely under her chest. She looked like she was trying to untangle a ball of christmas lights or string together a symphony or wipe the fog from a rainy windshield. She was ungodly quiet and contemplative, and it was beautiful and simple. And Regina admired from afar.

Jennifer found her gaze once and glanced from her back to the piece, almost an afterthought. "Bored already?" she chuckled. Regina inhaled deeply.

"Quite the opposite actually," Regina admitted as she eyed Jennifer up and down and goodness she fit in here. It didn't seem like she would because this was something Regina could really sink her teeth into and she and Jennifer were very different in a lot of ways. But Jennifer did fit in in her own niche way. "It's amazing. Thank you…" she looked around. "For showing me this. I...appreciate it."

"If I'd been the one to get you the tickets I would say you're welcome," Jennifer smiled. Regina gasped out a short laugh and shook her head.

"I meant thank you for convincing me to come here. To New York."

"Speaking of being glad you came, you can't be in New York and not see the Empire State building," Jennifer smiled. Regina raised her brow, and Jennifer shrugged. "I don't make the rules." Then she eyed Regina, a vague, open mouthed smile on her lips. "What do you say we get outta here?"

It was something about the way she said it that made Regina swallow and shift and nod dumbly. Anywhere Jennifer went tonight, Regina was sure to follow.

. . .

"There's a really good bar a couple blocks down. You wanna drink?" Jennifer asked as they walked out into the chilly night air.

"Maybe just one," Regina conceded as she followed Jennifer down the street. Jennifer's dress swished out behind her, heels clacking on the sidewalk. The sun was almost down, but the streets were as crowded as ever.

The bar Jennifer was taking her to was loud and smoky. Music floated out into the street. "It's a little rowdy, but these are good people. They won't bother you." Jennifer told her. "It's kind of a hole in the wall, not many people, you know." Regina looked around and was met with a wall of vodka and beer when she walked in the open door.

"Jennifer!" The bartender shouted as soon as they stepped through the entryway. She wore a spiked leather jacket and her short, black hair was gelled up into a sort of mohawk. "And friend," she drawled, drinking Regina up and whistling, leaning heavily on the bar. Regina, surprised and embarrassed, looked to Jennifer for guidance.

"White, please, Sarah. Two," Jennifer just said as she sat on a bar stool. Regina followed suit. "Maybe I should have warned you," Jennifer leaned into her and said softly.

"Is this a…" Regina trailed off and looked around at the colorful people and rainbow flags and men with their arms draped lovingly over other men.

"Gay bar?" Jennifer guessed, and Regina relaxed, her straight edge shoulders even slumping a fraction of an inch as Sarah came back with their drinks. They had exactly one gay bar in the Enchanted Forest, though no one in high society ever talked about it. She'd frequented it a handful of times in secret. Not to flirt, just to go somewhere where no one would bother her. She rarely interacted with anyone there. She rarely did anything but sit in the corner. When she went into town, sometimes she would just slip inside and breathe because she knew no one would go looking for her there. It was somewhat of a safe haven for many residents, and it had become hers for a short while as well.

"Best in town," Sarah smiled, hands on her hips. "I run this here watering hole," she joked, looking around. "First drink's free if you kiss the owner." Regina raised her brow in mild amusement as Sarah bit her lip and smiled at her specifically.

"She's serious, too," Jennifer told her with a grin. Regina looked from Jennifer to Sarah in curious shock, surprised at the woman's audacity.

"Are you speaking from experience, Dr. Alexander?" Regina wondered absently, a chuckle on her lips as she rested her arms on the bar and fiddled with the stem of her wine glass.

She'd seen her share of the gay community in that bar in the Enchanted Forest, but no one there was ever as out as people were here. The Enchanted Forest was a very... _conservative_ place, she'd grown up very sheltered, and Sarah was very forward.

Jennifer gave Regina a shit eating grin and wiggled her brow before leaning forward on her chair, grabbing Sarah by the lapels of her jacket, and kissing her over the bar. It was over with as quick as it started, but the image of Jennifer with her neck outstretched and eyes closed and cheeks flushed and hands fisting Sarah's jacket possessively was burned into the back of her eyes. Sarah hummed as Jennifer pulled away.

"Let's get outta here," Sarah growled, her eyes drifting from Jennifer's lips to her eyes and back to her lips. Jennifer laughed as she sat back down.

"You're not my type," she smiled.

"You say that, but then you kiss me over and over."

"I like free drinks," Jennifer shrugged.

"And beautiful women, too," she said, motioning to Regina who was watching them interact in silent, open mouthed, half smiling shock. Jennifer rolled her eyes and shook her head as Sarah grinned and walked away. And she sipped her wine as she turned to Regina. After her time in the Enchanted Forest's admittedly tamer gay bar, Regina was no stranger to kissing. She'd just never been so up close and personal with someone else's...more intimate moments.

"I really do get a free drink for that. It's the only reason I keep doing it," she explained.

"Well she seems to like it," Regina couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. She'd absolutely never been in a situation like that before, and she found it all a bit dizzying. "What is your type then?" She found herself asking in the confidence of a moment. Jennifer laughed and shifted in her seat.

"For starters, less drunk. After that, I don't know. Witty, intelligent. She'll have a sort of...je ne sais quoi," she smirked, being a smart ass and avoiding the question as she leaned back and put her glass to her lips. Regina felt like the use of "she" in Jennifer's sentence should have surprised her or phased her for even a moment but it didn't. Not at all. And Regina just scoffed and shook her head, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes that Jennifer didn't miss.

As queen, Regina had left the gay bar alone during her path of destruction. Some of the opposition jumped at the chance to slander her for it. So she killed anyone who spread rumors about her _or_ the bar. That place had sheltered her from Cora's wrath a number of times, and she was grateful for it. The patrons, of course, never said a word to her. She had been a child. They knew she wasn't there for a drink or a date. But they never kicked her out. Not once.

. . .

Jennifer hailed them a cab to get to the Empire State building, Regina watching her with curious, hesitant interest after their time at the bar. She felt like she'd just seen another side of Jennifer, more adventurous, more free, and much less like the doctor she seemed to be able to slip in and out of like a second skin. They rode in relative silence, Regina glancing out the window at the city skyline. Actually, the usually talkative Jennifer had been rather unusually silent. When she turned to look at her, she was surprised to see her head resting against the window, eyes closed. Regina raised her brow, her lips quirking up. "You really were tired," she whispered. Jennifer inhaled sharply, her head shooting up.

"What?" she mumbled, slurring the word as she turned blearily to Regina.

"How long did you say your shift was?" she asked, eyeing Jennifer as she shifted her body to face Regina.

"Thirty hours?" Jennifer answered, furrowing her brow, eyes painfully open.

"You told me you worked since seven in the morning," Regina protested, shifting to watch as Jennifer drifted in and out.

"Seven yesterday morning," Jennifer corrected, yawning. Regina scoffed. Now she knew why Jennifer looked so exhausted in her apartment. She sighed sympathetically.

"Jennifer why are we~"

"Hey, I knew it'd be like this when I invited you," she told her, rubbing her eyes and sitting up straighter. Regina shook her head, but it was sort of amused and admiring.

"You're insane," she told her sincerely.

. . .

As they rode the elevator in the Empire State building, Jennifer caught Regina's eye curiously. "You seemed pretty comfortable back there in the bar."

Regina brushed her hair behind her ear and chuckled, her brow jerking up, feeling Jennifer's gaze on her. "It's a long story, actually."

"A long story or a complicated one?" Jennifer guessed, leaning back against the wall of the elevator, looking at Regina from across the little box they were trapped in like she could see right through everything Regina put up to hide herself. The mayor swallowed. "You know, Sarah was really into you," Jennifer laughed suddenly, breaking the tension as she rested her head back against the wall, her hands pressed between the wall and her back. That was an entirely new feeling for Regina, to have someone, anyone really, want her like that. It was intimidating and exhilarating. Since Daniel no one had...well, no one had looked at her like she was more than the Evil Queen, like she had anything else to offer. Except Sarah whose eyes were nothing but hungry and dark. And except Jennifer, who always saw right through the armor she wore and cared for her all the same.

"She was a bit much," Regina chuckled as the elevator doors opened.

"Oh, so tone it down a bit and you're golden?" Jennifer asked, half joking. Regina rolled her eyes as Jennifer wrapped her arm around Regina's and tugged her along. Immediately, Regina was hit by the freezing wind and shivered. "It's cold up here, but it's always beautiful," she told her as she led her to the ledge. "What do you think of the view?" Jennifer asked as they leaned on the railing. It seemed like they could see all of New York from here, and the lights on the buildings twinkled like stars, and Regina was awestruck.

"It's nothing like the Enchanted Forest," she admitted, turning her head to Jennifer. "It's beautiful...in its own way." Jennifer smiled softly and leaned her head up against Regina's shoulder. And Regina let her. They stood there in silence for a while. Just looking. Keeping warm in their sleeveless dresses. "About that complicated story," Regina finally drawled, and Jennifer stood up straighter, watching her. "It's really not that much of a story. When I was younger, I would go into town sometimes to get supplies with my mother. I hated being around her," she admitted. "But there was a bar in town, a gay bar, that I would duck inside to hide sometimes. My mother would never look for me there, and they never bothered me. It was always just...someplace I could go and be safe," Regina turned to look at Jennifer.

"Well, if Cora ever comes back you're always welcome to camp out in my apartment," she smiled softly. "It's pretty much the same thing." They both laughed, and Jennifer interlocked their arms and squeezed.

. . .

The wind was icy and bitter, but they didn't want to leave quite yet so they stayed close, always touching in some way, trying to keep warm. First it was Jennifer rubbing her hand up and down Regina's back. Then they would lean into each other, hesitant of how the other would react, before one of them would grab their elbow or their wrist and pull them closer as if it was ridiculous that they should be so afraid.

Jennifer's nose and cheeks were red from the wind, and it reminded Regina of her kiss with Sarah when her cheeks were a similar color from the heat in the bar. She swallowed and looked out onto the skyline instead.

They talked too. About silly things like shoes which they somehow turned into a twenty minute conversation on the ethics of high heels, arms tightly interlocked amid a heated discussion.

"Wait hold on a second," Jennifer interrupted, slipping her arm from around Regina's to around her waist to steady her.

"What?" Regina blinked, annoyed at the abrupt end to their discussion. She was about to win the argument too.

"You've got an eyelash. It's really bugging me," Jennifer breathed, mouth hanging open slightly. They were nearly face to face now, Jennifer's hand squeezing her waist in concentration. Regina inhaled deeply. Her cold hands were unusually hot pressed against her back. Maybe it was the body heat they'd been sharing. Jennifer reached up with her free hand, and Regina flinched as she approached her eye. Jennifer snorted. "Relax," she drawled, her eyes locked onto the eyelash. Regina rolled her eyes and shifted her stance, annoyed. Which, upon reflection, she thought was entirely ridiculous while Jennifer was holding her so close. "And stop moving oh my god," Jennifer breathed. Regina blinked and swallowed, pressing her lips together in mild annoyance. "Close your eyes."

"What?" Regina nearly hissed.

"I don't wanna stab you in the eye," Jennifer explained. Regina sighed but complied, her eyes fluttering closed as quickly as her heart. Jennifer's fingers grazed the skin under her eye. "Alright, you can open," she said, holding her finger out with the eyelash for Regina to make a wish on. And they were still so fucking close. Regina's lips quirked up.

"I used to do this with Henry all the time. Though I generally thought people grew out of making wishes on arbitrary things," she said, looking at Jennifer with playful aggression. Jennifer leaned back slightly and laughed.

"What's the harm in believing in a little bit of magic?" She challenged with a smirk, her eyes glinting of Storybrooke and their adventure with Jennifer's blood. Regina tilted her head down.

"Touché."

"Maintenant, faire un voeu," Jennifer encouraged, glancing at the eyelash on her finger. Regina could extrapolate what that one meant and closed her eyes, thinking. She couldn't really concentrate with Jennifer grabbing her waist like that, a sure smile on her lips behind Regina's eyelids.

She supposed she wished that Jennifer would stop leading Sarah on as well as stop being so cheap. She's a doctor. She can afford her own drinks. And Sarah didn't deserve to be kissed so easily by a woman like Jennifer. Well who does, a smaller part of her challenged. She couldn't answer that. She supposed she'd know it when she saw it.

She blew the eyelash away and opened her eyes. Jennifer's crystal blue irises were smiling back at her, her dimples barely a shadow but eye catching nonetheless. "I hope you didn't waste your wish," Jennifer told her, not letting go of her waist. In fact, her other hand came to rest on her forearm, thumb rubbing gently into her skin. Regina could barely breathe they were so close. She didn't think she'd ever initiate this kind of contact, but she certainly wasn't opposed to it.

"I don't think I did," Regina answered. And it was the truth. Jennifer smirked and eyed her suspiciously.

"I know it's bad luck to tell me your wish, but I'm really curious now. You've got this look."

"A look?" Regina questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, like...weirdly satisfied. Like you actually wished for something realistic."

"I _hope_ it's realistic," Regina admitted. Jennifer narrowed her eyes, shuffling her feet and forcing Regina to back up until she was against the railing. Jennifer cradled her lower back. "I'm not telling you. Then it won't come true." Regina held firm despite her mind racing in a confused flurry and her chest tight and heavy. She wasn't in control right now. Usually she'd hate it, but right now it was oddly pleasant.

"Says the woman who basically called me childish for even presenting the possibility of a wish," Jennifer teased, the hand on her forearm sliding up to her upper arm. Regina knew that Jennifer wouldn't actually ask what the wish was. She had a feeling that Jennifer was far too superstitious for that.

"For a woman of science, you're rather pagan," Regina drawled, her eyes drifting across her face and to Jennifer's lips that were stretched up into a smile. Of the few things she truly knew about Jennifer, she was certain that she absolutely loved intelligent banter. And except for Regina, Storybrooke seemed to be devoid of anyone to match Jennifer's speed and wit.

"Don't I have to be? I mean I do have a witch in my arms," she breathed, her voice especially teasing. Regina exhaled through her nose as Jennifer's grip tightened on her waist. She'd almost forgotten about that arm. And she hadn't even realized that they'd gotten so close until Jennifer pointed it out. Against the railing Regina had nowhere to go, no place to duck into and escape. Jennifer watched her carefully.

"Not here. I don't have magic outside Storybrooke," Regina admitted, brushing her hair out of her eyes but not quite knowing what to do with her hands after that. She didn't want to move away and give Jennifer the impression that she was uncomfortable around her. Jennifer never even noticed her indecision.

"There's magic everywhere," she protested instead. "In the patients that cry when everything turns out okay. In a smile. In music when it makes you shiver. In a sunset. And especially in that eyelash," she smiled softly, reassuringly.

"How poetic," Regina smiled and they swayed for a moment, a chuckle stuck in the back of their throats. Jennifer's fingers dug into her back as they slowed and slowed and found themselves stuck in a quiet moment where everything stopped and glistened and got much more intimate.

Jennifer's hand slid up from Regina's arm to her temple, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Then her thumb settled gently onto her jaw, her fingers resting on her neck under her hair. Regina clenched her teeth, the muscles twitching under Jennifer's hand.

The moment blurred as Jennifer's eyes drifted to her lips. She could feel Jennifer leaning forward, but she didn't process what that meant until their lips met. She was soft and full and unexpectedly tender against Regina's lips and Regina, just for a moment, drifted away. Her hands found Jennifer's arms and gripped them gently as Jennifer kissed her. And, to Regina's surprise, she found herself kissing her back. Languid and silky and, unlike the air around them, warm. Jennifer was soft and delicate, gentle with her, almost. And they moved together and against each other like waves for a moment that felt like forever. Jennifer held her, guided her, and finally, let her breathe.

Her hand was tangled in Regina's hair and her eyes were still closed when their lips broke apart, and Regina's head whirred at a dizzying speed. She felt dizzy. She slid away from Jennifer in a daze. She barely felt Jennifer's arms detach from her. She was barely breathing and her fingers tingled.

And it all clicked. Right then and there. The looks, the touches, the smiles. It was there. She just hadn't seen it. Unlike Sarah's, that was a serious kiss. That had meant something. That was... _real_. And soft and warm and fuck. _Fuck_. She's never kissed a woman before. Subconsciously she supposed she'd always known why but now she _knew_ that this right here was why she hadn't wanted to be alone with Jennifer in New York. She was afraid that this would happen.

She was afraid.

" _Regina_ ," Jennifer breathed, her eyes fluttering open. But when Jennifer saw the surprised look in Regina's eyes her stomach dropped and churned and for a quick moment everything spun around her. "Regina." Her voice was worried now, certainly as desperate but much less wispy.

"I think that~" Regina's voice cracked and she swallowed. "~there was a miscommunication somewhere. I don't~"

"Regina, please," Jennifer begged, cutting her off.

"Jennifer, I'm not…" she cut herself off this time at the cracks she saw forming in Jennifer's already devastated expression. "I don't feel that way about you," she stated firmly, almost coldly. Her back was as straight as a pin suddenly. She looked poised and serious and far above Jennifer whose throat felt tight and her eyes burned and who has the upper hand now?

And what the fuck is she supposed to do?

She poured her heart out and Regina was staring at the broken thing with dispassionate eyes.

Jennifer's knees felt weak.

"I think I should go," Regina said.

"Do you know~"

"I'll find my way," she assured softly, but it felt like she was talking to a stranger.


	26. Do I sound like I've been crying?

_26: Do I sound like I've been crying?_

Jennifer slid her key into the lock with an arm that felt like lead. She had long slipped off her heels, the damned things dangling from her fingers, scuffed and dirty from the adventures of the evening. Her nose was stuffy, and she sniffled as she pushed the door open, her eyes itchy and red. She slipped inside quietly, setting her shoes down and hanging her keys on the key hook before locking the door behind her. With a tired sigh, she leaned her head against the white, wooden door. It was cool and soothing against her flushed skin. A soft "fuck" rushed past her lips as she ground her head into the grain of the wood.

"Well, how did it go?" Val's eager voice made Jennifer jump, her breath catching violently in her throat. She pressed a hand to her chest and turned to the source of the noise. When she saw it was Val, her expression morphed into one of disbelief and disgust.

"What the fuck are you still doing here?" she asked, her voice cracking and pained. Jennifer's unusually harsh tone made Val recoil quickly, the smile falling from her face. The light was dim in the entryway, but Val could see the tear tracks Jennifer was trying to hide shine on her cheeks. Val's shoulders fell, and she furrowed her brow with the realization that the night had not ended well for Jennifer. Jennifer could see her staring and quickly wiped the tears away, suddenly self-conscious. "Can you just leave?" she asked, turning away, exhausted and frustrated as she rubbed fingers across her aching temple.

"Let me help," she offered. Jennifer didn't look at her, but she did sniffle.

"Just get out of my apartment," she told her numbly.

"Jennifer, come on," Val sighed, deflating because Jennifer needed her right now whether she knew it or not.

"Look, I don't want you here. I don't want any more of your shitty advice. And I certainly don't want your pity," she growled weakly, her eyes finally meeting Val's. She was crying.

"What happened?" Val asked gently, ignoring everything her friend had just said. Jennifer just scoffed and shook her head, brushing past Val more harshly than Val expected. She walked into her kitchen and opened her fridge, the blinding white light illuminating the eyeliner that was staining her cheeks. It was the kind of smearing that came with harsh, breathless crying, and it broke Val's heart. She came back with a beer and dug a bottle opener from the drawer to her right. "Jen, come on, I'm sorry," Val told her as she leaned against the wall just outside the kitchen, partially hidden by the shadows in the dark apartment. The glow of the TV in the living room was their only source of light, and Jennifer didn't bother to turn anything else on.

"Go fuck yourself," she told her before tipping the bottle to her lips. Val sighed, letting her head loll to the side, her arms folded over her chest.

"Look, you knew rejection was a possibility long before I said anything."

"Which is why I never made a move before you decided to come in and fuck everything up!"

"Hey! You know what, despite everything, I'm proud of you. It takes a hell of a lot of guts to do what you did," Val protested honestly. Then she blinked and sighed, frustrated as she continued to lean against the wall. "Jennifer, I know you get scared. I know it's hard for you to put yourself out there like that, but you just have to, okay? It hurts, but it's better than having to suffer in silence for the rest of your damn life. Besides, it makes it easier to move on, you know?"

"That's rich coming from the woman who bottles more than Evian," she laughed derisively, taking another swig of her beer, her eyes wet and her nose red. Jennifer knew it was supposed to be a motivational speech, but it just seemed hypocritical to her.

"It worked with you," Val supplied casually, but Jennifer knew that the admission was difficult for her. More than anything, Val hated being vulnerable, and that meant that what she'd said was really fucking important to her. Jennifer quieted for a moment, lowering the bottle from her lips.

"That was different," she said softly.

"No it wasn't," Val shook her head, just as soft. "I mean it took a while, but I know that you're right. We're much better friends than we ever were girlfriends." They smiled at each other a little bit. "Look I don't mean to give you false hope but~"

"That but is why I told you to go fuck yourself," Jennifer warned with a stuffy nose, her tone softening.

"I'm just telling you that I know what I saw between you two. I don't know what happened tonight, but I'm positive that you can fix it. Regina cares about you too much for this to ruin your relationship. She's just scared," Val tried to reassure her from a room apart. Jennifer wiped her eyes quickly and sniffed before wrapping her hands around the beer bottle.

"I don't want to just be Regina's friend, though. Not after tonight," Jennifer explained. Val sighed sympathetically and pushed herself off the wall and walked to the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room.

"What did she do when you told her?"

"Well, I didn't exactly tell her. It was more like I showed her," Jennifer explained. Val's mouth fell open.

"Wait, you kissed her?" she yelped, her jaw dropping. "Christ, Jen, what happened? Did she kiss you back?" Jennifer smiled wistfully and glanced down at her beer, but there was a certain melancholy behind her eyes that Val didn't miss.

"She kissed me," she confirmed with a distant nod. "She...I mean, fuck, she _kissed_ me," Jennifer bit her lip, containing a smile. Val smiled back, but it faded as quick as Jennifer's. She shook her head, looking down. "But then she told me that this was a mistake. That she doesn't feel that way about me. And then she left," Jennifer shrugged and swallowed.

"She left?" Val asked. Jennifer nodded, tears springing to her eyes. She was holding them back, her throat tight and burning. But she couldn't stop the sob that rolled through her shoulders. She gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth. She didn't want to lose it in front of Val, but there were tears running down her cheeks. She groaned, setting down her beer and pressing her hands over her face, her breath hitching and her shoulders shaking.

"God damn it," she drawled, keeping her hands there for a long moment as she collected herself before wiping the tears away and sniffling. "I hate myself."

"No, you don't."

"I hate you."

"That's fair," Val shrugged. Jennifer gasped out a laugh as more tears spilled from her eyes, her shoulders shaking. She was still sort of laughing, but mostly crying, and Val finally stepped forward, offering a hug. Jennifer just slipped quietly into her arms.

"I definitely hate myself," Jennifer cried into her shirt, her shoulders shaking, breath hitching painfully.

"No, you don't," Val tried to tell her even though she knew Jennifer wasn't listening.

"I feel like a piece of shit," Jennifer cried, her arms loosely around Val who was holding her tight.

"I know," she just sighed, rubbing her back soothingly.

. . .

Jennifer's phone buzzed on the coffee table, and the two women stared at it over their blankets, the glow of the TV the only thing illuminating their curious expressions. Jennifer was curled up on the end of the couch, but she leaned over to check the caller ID. It's not like they were actually watching whatever crime drama was on. It was just to keep the silence from getting too loud. "It's Emma," Jennifer said, glancing at Val.

"You gonna answer it?" Val raised an eyebrow over the low, blue light of her phone.

"Do I sound like I've been crying?"

"A little, yeah," Val admitted. Jennifer sniffed and sat up and answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jennifer it's Henry!"

"Henry?" Jennifer asked. "Isn't it a little past your bedtime?"

"It's only like 10:30. Plus I was doing stuff with Neal," Henry said. Jennifer hummed. Right, Neal. She'd almost forgotten about the watch stealing bastard.

"And did you have fun?"

"Yeah, he's pretty cool, but I was wondering if you wanted to have breakfast tomorrow."

"Just me and you?" she asked with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah, Neal told me about this really good breakfast place. I was thinking we could try it out."

"You don't wanna have breakfast with Neal?"

"He's coming back to Storybrooke with us. You're not. So what d'ya say? Please?"

. . .

Val stayed the night at her apartment. Not because Jennifer asked her to or needed her to or anything. Plus she made her breakfast in the morning. Well, she put a piece of bread in the toaster and brewed a pot of coffee, but that was good enough for Jennifer. "I better get going," Val smiled as they sat in the kitchen. She was wearing some of the clothes she stashed at Jennifer's for emergencies.

"Work?"

"I have to meet a client in 40 minutes," she admitted as she stood up to leave. Before she walked to the door she sighed sympathetically, hesitant to actually go.

"I'm fine," Jennifer shrugged, her hair in a messy bun, the same makeup from yesterday still on her cheeks as she cradled a mug of steaming coffee like it was a baby.

"You're not fine," Val shook her head.

"I'll _be_ fine," Jennifer corrected. "Now go," she shooed. Val sighed.

"Call me later. We'll go get drunk," she smirked. Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"Getting blackout drunk is not a healthy coping mechanism," she drawled, the doctor in her coming out.

"And you wonder why I don't take you to _my_ bar," Val smiled before blowing her a kiss goodbye.

. . .

Henry told her to meet her at Penelope that morning. It was a restaurant she'd been to once or twice before and was definitely worth going to again. When one of the hostesses asked her what the party name was she said Henry and was led to a table. Henry told her to say that. He said Neal was dropping him off and that he'd probably be there before her.

However, when she got close enough she realized that the table she was being led to did not contain Henry at all. Sitting there, just as surprised as she was, was Emma Swan.


	27. A torrid love affair

_27: A torrid love affair_

 _Yesterday_

Regina's nose was red. From the cold of course. And Jennifer liked her. And her feet hurt. And Jennifer had real, serious feelings for her. And for some god forsaken reason she felt like crying.

The hotel Gold had put them up in was rather nice, though that didn't exactly surprise her. Gold had his own room, as did Regina, but Henry and Emma shared. She hated it. She hated how no one thought twice about what Regina might be feeling or even about the fact that she was still, believe it or not, Henry's mother. And she especially hated Gold for putting her in the middle room, sandwiched between the fucking Dark One and the Savior. She scoffed at the irony. Then, of course, as soon as she stepped in front of her hotel room door, Gold's opened, and she jumped. "Speak of the devil," Regina breathed distractedly, blinking as she turned to Gold, hiding her troubled thoughts well.

Gold just curled his lip as he looked her up and down. "What are you wearing?" He mused in his usual droll, ridiculing way as an amused smile tugged at his lips. Regina clenched her jaw and stood firm.

"It's Jennifer's," she explained, brushing her hair out of her face before folding her arms over her chest. He made a noise between a scoff and a chuckle as he sauntered forward.

"Of course," he drawled. "And how _was_ your date with the doctor?" he asked, blinking. Regina's chest tightened, and she swallowed, shifting her weight on her high heel clad feet.

"I don't know what you're talking about. It wasn't a date," she dismissed, shaking her head, blinking, and hoping Gold couldn't see the panic behind her eyes. He just stared at her for a moment that seemed much longer than it was, and she clenched her jaw, breaking the odd tension between them as she waved her room key over the lock and pushed her door open with a jerk. "What do you want, Gold?"

"Nothing you can provide," he told her cryptically. "Unless you happen to have a bottle of bourbon in there," he drawled. Regina scoffed again as she pushed her door open. God, she wished. It had been a rough day for the both of them, it turned out. "Regina," he called before she could disappear into her room. She turned to glance at him. "You've got a little…" he wiggled his finger around his mouth, and she frowned, wiping her fingers along the same area. They came back red and sticky. It was lipstick. Jennifer's lipstick. A blush rose to her cheeks, and she turned away before Gold could see it. Though she suspected he didn't need to see it to know it was there. "Goodnight, madam mayor," Gold drawled, an amused lilt to his voice as he walked past her door. Regina closed it, almost angry, and clenched her jaw as she stalked to the bathroom.

Jennifer's lipstick was all over her lips, faded and smudged but definitely there. Besides the fact that it wasn't her shade, it was rather obvious by the smearing that she hadn't put it on herself. So there was only one other explanation.

Her face blanched, and her stomach churned.

Gold knew.

Trying to shake that thought from her head, she ran both hands through her tousled hair and looked herself in the mirror. Not too long ago Jennifer's fingers had been splayed through the same hair. And Jennifer's lips had been kissing hers. And not too long ago she'd been staring at Miss Alexander with cold disdain as the doctor invaded her town and destroyed her protection spell. And now here she was. In New York. With Henry's father. And Emma Swan. And Jennifer fucking Alexander.

And she found that tears were welling quietly in her eyes. Angry and confused, she braced herself on the sink and inhaled choppy breaths and shifted her weight and stared at herself in the harsh, unforgiving light of a hotel bathroom.

. . .

 _Today_

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, sitting up straighter. Jennifer furrowed her brow and cocked her head.

"I could ask you the same question."

"Henry invited me," Emma answered.

"Henry invited _me_ ," Jennifer responded and watched as the gears clicked together in Emma's head. Then she exhaled forcibly and nodded in realization.

"The kid _did_ know we were fighting. He told me last night that he was worried about us," she explained, leaning back in her chair.

"I'm not sure it's his place to be," Jennifer answered with a furrowed brow, her head cocked as she moved forward to grab the back of the chair across from Emma.

"No, I agree. I'll talk with him later," Emma nodded distractedly, and the silence quickly grew thick and tense. Emma swallowed. "But, hey, you're here now. Might as well sit down, right?" And for some unknown reason Jennifer did as she was told. They were playing right into Henry's hand, and they both knew it. "So Regina came back pretty late last night. What were you guys doing?" Emma asked lightly, trying not to let Henry completely dictate their conversation. Jennifer tensed and swallowed. She had applied new makeup and washed her face and combed her hair, but she still felt like she was living a continuation of last night, every agonizing moment playing back in her head like it had just happened an hour ago.

"I was just showing her around. Took her to the Empire State Building. We had dinner. Nothing exciting really," Jennifer lied. Emma didn't care for Regina much at the moment, so she felt like admitting that she'd tongued the Evil Queen last night wouldn't help anyone right now. Emma leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table.

"Sounds like you showed her a good time," she nodded then swallowed then shook her head briefly. "Anyway, now that you're here, Jennifer, I think we should talk." Jennifer took a deep breath. This was her chance.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to talk with you actually. It's about Regina. She told me what happened with Captain Hook and the protection spell you asked her to cast." She could tell that Emma knew what she was referring to. "And I just...I mean..." she sighed and shook her head. "I don't understand how you could do that to a person, really. I mean, blackmail? And it's not just that either. You're different in Storybrooke. I know people change, but you're, frankly, unrecognizable. I don't expect you to martyr yourself like you used to, but at least have a little empathy, Emma, please."

"I do for the people who deserve it," Emma countered defensively. "I had to grow up a lot quicker than you, Jennifer. I had to sacrifice for you long before you ever had to sacrifice anything for anyone. And I'm not holding that against you. It's just that you can't have everything all the time." Then she lowered her voice. "Gold would have killed Hook if Regina hadn't cast that spell. The only way she was going to cooperate _was_ if I blackmailed her. Now, I like Hook just about as much as I like Regina, but I don't think either of them deserves to die. Just think about that when you put Regina on a pedestal."

"She's changing, though. She's not the Evil Queen anymore," Jennifer insisted, a frown etched deep into her brows.

"How would you really know, Jen? The Regina I knew before you got here did worse things." She paused, really looking at Jennifer. When she spoke again her voice was much softer. "Look, when I said that I was just a kid when I ran away I meant it. I didn't say it to dismiss our time in foster care. I said it because I changed so much in the five years after I left. I'm the person I am today because of that time. You have to understand that I can't regret leaving because I got Henry out of it. But I do regret not being more open with you about it. I regret not staying in touch with you. Look, I'm sorry I made you think I abandoned you. I really, truly am, Jennifer. I had good intentions. It's just the execution that was a little messed up."

"A little messed up?" Jennifer smiled slightly. Emma fought a smile, and Jennifer figured, with a deep breath, that it might be time to put this feud to rest. "Well, I'm sorry too. I attacked you without really letting you explain yourself. I think this whole thing has just been us unloading a decade worth of shit we never bothered to deal with," Jennifer shrugged, and the look in both their eyes told them that they had a lot of other shit lined up to tell each other later. And it made Jennifer happy, as odd as it sounded in her head.

After a moment of content silence, Emma shifted in her seat. "You know, for better or worse, I still consider you family."

Jennifer smiled softly.

"Me too."

. . .

Then they talked for a while about Jennifer and what she's been doing since high school, and they soon came to the topic of Val. "She's family," Jennifer stated simply.

"From flirting with you in a tattoo parlor to family?" Emma teased. Jennifer hesitated, a blush rising to her cheeks. She'd come out to more people than she could remember by this point, but coming out to family was different, apparently. She hadn't really known that up until this point.

"It was reciprocal," she bunched her shoulders together, fighting a smile as a small blush rose to her cheeks. Emma grinned.

"Was it a torrid love affair?"

Jennifer's lips stretched into a hesitant smile, amused but scared. Her heart pounded, and she hated herself for it. This was Emma she was talking to, remember? "You're ok? You're not...surprised?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I just...guess I just expected a bigger reaction."

"Jenny, I knew you were gay since you were like 13," Emma laughed, and Jennifer blushed.

"I didn't even...how did...you know what, nevermind," Jennifer laughed and scrubbed her hands down her face, taking a deep breath. "Anyway, no it was not a torrid love affair. It was more like a hot mess. We're just much better as friends," she sighed, the blush subsiding from her cheeks. She swallowed. "Hey, on a more serious note, can I ask you a question...about Regina?"

"Sure."

"I read the storybook, and Ruby's told me some stories."

"And?"

"They never say anything useful about _before_ Snow White and Charming got married. I'm just curious, I guess."

"About Regina?"

"Before she was the Evil Queen," Jennifer clarified.

"Well, she met Mary Margaret when she was a teenager. Mary Margaret was like 10 or 12. Regina saved her life actually. Apparently they got along really well until Snow told Cora about Daniel."

"Daniel?"

" _Regina's_ torrid love affair," Emma clarified with a knowing smirk but quickly sobered. "Who Cora then _killed_ when she found out about him. According to Mary Margaret that's what really turned Regina into the Evil Queen. And she took her anger out on Snow. Before she actually adopted the title, Cora married her off to Leopold, Snow's dad. Cora orchestrated the entire marriage, actually, so that Regina could be Queen. But after Regina killed Leopold, the rest is history. She threw Snow out of the castle and put a bounty on her head."

Jennifer's throat was tight when Emma finished. "Wow."

"I'm sure you read it or Ruby told you about it, but Regina burned entire villages to the ground because she suspected them of protecting Snow. She was heartless."

"She was hurting."

"That doesn't excuse _massacre_."

"No, I know," Jennifer nodded, and she did. But there had to be more to the story than Emma knew about. The Regina she knew wasn't that single minded. Maybe Snow could tell her more. She was there, after all.

* * *

a/n: In other news, I hate how the writers explained why Regina became the Evil Queen. Part two on this in chapter 28. In other _other_ news, sorry for the month in between chapters. I just got settled at college. It's been a little crazy.


	28. A special kind of hell

a/n: Make sure you're well versed in the Neverland storyline and Regina's childhood before reading!

 **Also, I'm bumping the rating up to M for this chapter because it focuses on emotional abuse and depression.**

* * *

 _28: A special kind of hell_

 _New York_

Jennifer didn't see Regina again after that night. In fact, the last she saw of any of them was when she said goodbye to Emma after breakfast.

A week went by before she plucked up the courage to call Mary Margaret. Upon Jennifer's request, Emma had given her her number before she left for Storybrooke with everyone. The first time she called, however, it went to voicemail. The second time she called, the same thing. When she called a third time and there was no answer, she started to get concerned. Out of curiosity, she called Emma and got _her_ voicemail.

So she called Granny's.

"Granny's diner," Ruby's voice came through on the other end.

"Ruby, it's Jennifer!"

"Hey, Dr. Alexander, what's up?"

"I've been trying to get a hold of Mary Margaret and Emma but neither of them are answering their phones. I was just wondering if something was going on."

"You haven't heard?" Ruby breathed, shocked. Jennifer's blood ran cold.

"No?" She asked hesitantly.

"Greg Mendell and Tamara, Neal's fiancee, were working for Peter Pan. They kidnapped Henry and took him to Neverland. Hook sailed his ship through a portal with everyone. They're gone. You just missed them." The sentence had Jennifer's head spinning, and she felt like she was missing something. Was this really happening? She scrunched her nose and squinted her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Okay, wait. Start from the beginning. What exactly happened after I left?"

. . .

 _Neverland_

In their quest to find Henry, Hook had the bright idea to go looking for Tinkerbell. Regina, of course, warned against it. She didn't think they were quite desperate enough to need her help yet. She supposed her reasons were slightly selfish, but her time in the Enchanted Forest had been a special kind of hell, and she wasn't ready to relive it all yet.

It may have been because when Tinkerbell first found her all those years ago she'd been plummeting to her death. That was when she was still White Frilly Dress Queen Regina. Of course Leopold and precious little Snow had been away when it happened. In fact, it was rather typical of them to be so regularly absent. Not that she would have come to either of them for solace anyway.

Especially not after Rumpelstiltskin finished telling her that she was destined to practice dark magic. He warned that, no matter how much she didn't want to be like her mother, the darkness would find her and it would eat her alive and she would become everything she hated the most in this world. He told her she couldn't run, and she couldn't hide, and she couldn't escape because darkness doesn't rest or falter or fail. It's only ever hungry. And now it was hungry for her.

Of course he came prepared with a silver lining. He promised her the ability to control it, to harness it, and to keep herself safe. She hadn't known it at the time, but he'd only said it because he wanted her to keep taking lessons with him. And that was only because he needed her to cast the dark curse for him.

She was an impressionable young girl. So if he, much older and much wiser, said the world was ending, then the world was surely ending. He told her he was helping her. But all he was ever really doing was tearing her down and molding her into whatever he saw fit. At that time, it happened to be a self-destructive self-fulfilling prophesy she would later call the Evil Queen.

But right then and right there, Regina felt like all the walls were closing in around her, and she couldn't do anything about it. She felt like she was drowning, and the only people who had the ability to save her were the ones who were killing her.

After all, her entire life up until that point had been under someone else's control. First it was Cora and then it was Leopold and now Rumpelstiltskin too. They had all been abusive and controlling in their own way.

Cora had done it by pressing Regina's entire being into a tiny little box and then decorating it with things she couldn't stand. She buried her under words like _respect_ and _manners_ and _make me proud_ and _you're such a disappointment_ and _you can have the life that everyone else only dreams of_ until Regina was burning. And even then she tolerated the pain in fearful silence. But sometimes she boiled over. And then she would run as fast as her legs could carry her and even when her lungs burned and she couldn't breathe she never stopped not ever until vines sprouted from the trees and wrapped themselves tight around her wrists and ankles and held her there until Cora showed up and Regina would have to hide her shame. Not because she wanted to be brave for Cora but because she hated that she still cared what this woman thought of her.

Leopold did it when he wouldn't look at her for weeks because she couldn't live up to a ghost. And then sometimes he wouldn't look at her because he was ashamed that he'd bedded a woman who didn't love him and who he didn't love in return. She felt no sympathy toward him. In fact, sometimes she didn't feel much of anything. And sometimes she burned so red and so hot and so wide that she thought she might destroy the entire castle and take every single person in it down with her.

Sometimes she thought about running away. Sometimes she did. Though, she rarely thought about where it was she was running. Just away. After all, she'd learned too young that home was a person not a place. And she had never been at home with Cora. Her father used to be her home until she got old enough to realize he was letting Cora hurt her. That left Daniel. And he was dead. And she wanted to scream. All the fucking time.

But she swallowed it. She always did. She didn't really know why anymore.

The problem was that even if she was able to control the tar that spit from her lips when she was angry and the boiling mass of shit inside her, she would always have to live with it. Things like that don't just go away. And a life lived only in darkness was no life to her.

So she might as well say yes to Rumple's lessons, right? After all, he promised she could be free, and she was young and impressionable, and he made her believe that if he said the world was ending then surely it was ending.

But then she thought of Cora. And she'd rather die than become Cora.

Frustrated and hopeless and dejected, she ran to her room and looked out at the courtyard. Her heart was pounding away in her chest, her eyes blinded by tears. She'd tried to run away before, but she always ended up right back here in this room and not always by her own choosing. In this spot. This. Very. Fucking. Spot.

The railing broke. She fell.

. . .

 _The Enchanted Forest, many years ago_

"Snow White. That's her name? Even I think that's a bit precious and mine's Tinkerbell," the fairy laughed. They were sitting outside at a tavern somewhere. Regina didn't particularly care where; she just wanted to get away from the castle.

"She's a monster. Totally indulged and adored. She sort of ricochets through life, telling people's secrets. She had my fiance killed," Regina had said very matter of fact, and at the time she believed it. Part of her still did.

"No," Tinkerbell gasped, leaning in.

"The only way I can get through it is that she and the King are gone all the time," Regina explained pointedly, as if she was talking about palace gossip instead of this huge weight that was pressing down on her heart all the fucking time.

"You're glad your husband's gone?"

"It's not a marriage," Regina laughed, shaking her head. "It's a farce. I may be the Queen, but alone in that palace I feel like the Queen of nothing." She was talking as if she wanted power, as if she liked being Queen and if that was all that mattered to her. But what she meant to say was that she felt worthless and alone and stepped on and used and like a pawn in her own life. Yes, everything she was saying to Tinkerbell was vaguely true, but it only scratched the surface of the pain and isolation she was feeling. She just didn't want to appear vulnerable or weak, so she talked as if nothing really affected her. As if this was a minor annoyance rather than the thing that had driven her to try and take her life.

"No wonder you jumped."

Regina's heart rattled against her chest and a blush surged to her cheeks and the tips of her ears, but she found the strength to look surprised and outraged at Tinkerbell. "I didn't jump. I fell," she corrected defensively.

"Right," Tinkerbell cleared her throat. "You fell."

"I did," she reassured childishly. Then she hesitated. "But if I had...well, here's to good reasons."

She said it quickly and painfully and tapped her cup against Tinkerbell's before taking a long, hard drink.

. . .

The closer their misfit band of heroes and villains got to Tinkerbell the more uneasy Regina felt. They were trekking through the forest, and her heart was beating louder than the cicadas. Tinkerbell had never truly understood how much it had hurt Regina to live in the castle with Leopold and Snow. Even with Cora in Wonderland, Regina was confined. She was a prisoner within the ruse of contentment and diplomacy she created because she was too scared to rock the boat. That was Cora's conditioning rearing its ugly head.

So, no, Regina hadn't been actively suicidal. But if she had happened to die, well, she wouldn't have been very upset about it.

All she really, truly wanted was freedom. With Cora out of the picture that only left Leopold and Snow White and a burning hatred for all three of them simmering in her chest. She wanted to make her own choices and live how she wanted. She didn't need power. Not at the time. All she needed was Daniel and the freedom and support and unconditional love he gave her.

And she'd never once thought of Daniel as her destiny despite strongly believing that he was her True Love. To her that implied a lack of choice, and the only thing that comforted her in those days was the idea of having the freedom to choose. Whether that be a partner or a lifestyle and everything in between. After all, what kind of life was she living if she couldn't choose how to live it? To her, Daniel was a symbol of freedom. He was her True Love because they'd found each other by choice, not by anyone else's doing. And it proved to her that the only way people could be truly happy was by choosing their own path, destiny be damned.

. . .

Gold and Regina were sitting on the shore waiting for Ariel to get back from Storybrooke with Pandora's box. She couldn't help but watch the troubled expression on his face as he fiddled with his ring. "You really think Belle can succeed?" Regina finally asked, one leg folded over the other.

"Yes, I do," he answered, looking out into the water. He was worried, though. She could tell.

Regina tilted her chin up and eyed him. "Are you sure it's not your _feelings_ blinding you?" She had her hands clasped together in front of her and rubbed the back of her thumb harshly. She was tense. She wanted Henry back. That's all she could ever think lately. And if Rumple wasn't thinking clearly she needed to fix it. For Henry's sake.

"Well perhaps it's my feeling illuminating me," Gold countered, not really looking at her. He was embarrassed by the admission.

Regina furrowed her brow and tilted her head. "You really love her," she drawled, surprised. To be honest, it scared her. Rumpelstiltskin had fallen in love. And where did that leave her?

"Is that jealousy?" Gold piped, amused. Regina's face lit up, and she laughed.

"Of Belle?" She mused like the thought was entirely ridiculous. "I think not."

"No, no. Of _having_ someone," Rumple clarified pointedly, digging the knife in deeper. Regina looked surprised for a moment until she realized that he'd been referring to a specific person. Then dread settled in the pit of her stomach, and for some strange reason she felt attacked.

Jennifer.

She was the first person to pop into Regina's head anyway.

She swallowed, shifting restlessly in her seat. And her throat felt tight because maybe it was true.

Maybe she was jealous.

* * *

a/n: well this has been part two of how I hate the writers for making the Regina/Snow feud seem selfish and childish and ridiculous. Part three on this to come in later chapters.


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